Memory has aroused man’s interest and imagination since antiquity, but the first scientific studies were conducted a little over a century ago. Today, thanks to advances in science, we have gained a reasonable understanding of the mechanisms of memory formation.
There are several conceptualizations of memory, which can be understood as the process of storing acquired and recallable information at any time. Acquisition is also called learning. It is believed from that the memories basically consist of the modification of the form and, therefore, of the function of the synapses that intervened in the formation of these memories.
In summary it is believed that there is a Short Term Memory, based on the momentary electrical activity of neurons and thus somewhat susceptible to interference and a Long Term Memory, represented by structural changes of neurons, particularly in synapses with other neurons, robust and interference resistant. The memory reconsolidation therapy is essential there.
The search for the engram and the consolidation
Where are these memory traces in the nervous system? This type of investigation became known as “the search for the engram.”
Exactly where information is stored in the case of long-term memory is not known, but it is assumed to occur in neocortex association areas. However, recent memory is known to depend on the limbic system, which is involved in the processes of retention and consolidation of new information and possibly also in its temporary storage and transfer to neocortical areas of association for permanent storage.
Several steps are required to fix memory, and for some time after learning, memory remains vulnerable to interference. Most of this consolidation process is completed in the first hours after learning. The storage stabilization process, however, extends over a longer period and involves continual changes in the memory organization itself.
Reconsolidation
For a long time, consolidation was seen as a process achieved only in newly acquired memories that had the function of storing those memories in the long run. However, recent studies have shown that after recovery, long-term memories may once again undergo a new consolidation process known as reconsolidation – a stage of lability, which requires new protein synthesis for stabilization. Thus, memory becomes unstable after its reactivation, making already consolidated content again vulnerable to interference. Reconsolidation is considered a means to integrate new learning with previous experiences, having as its characteristic the alteration of the original memory trait.
Memory and Neuroplasticity
Neurons are specialized cells whose main function is to communicate with one another; As a result of processing a fantastic amount of information, the integrated activity of neurons determines and modulates the behavior of individuals.
The ability of neurons to transform and adapt their structure in response to environmental or internal demands is called neural plasticity.
