It’s common knowledge that our brains—and, specifically, our brain cells—store memories.
In response, the non-brain cells turned on a “memory gene”—the same gene that brain cells turn on when they detect a pattern in the information and restructure their connections in order to form memories.
Specifically, when the pulses were delivered in spaced-out intervals, they turned on the “memory gene” more strongly, and for a longer time, than when the same treatment was delivered all at once.
“It shows that the ability to learn from spaced repetition isn’t unique to brain cells, but, in fact, might be a fundamental property of all cells.”
The researchers add that the findings not only offer new ways to study memory, but also point to potential health-related gains.
We know that memories are stored in our brains, and more especially in the cells that make up our brains. However, a group of researchers has found that cells from different bodily parts also carry out a memory function, which opens up new avenues for understanding memory and may improve learning and treat conditions related to memory.
Nikolay V., of New York University, says, “This study demonstrates that other cells in the body can learn and form memories, too. Learning and memory are generally associated with brains and brain cells alone.”. Kukushkin, the study’s principal author, which was published in the journal Nature Communications.
By using a well-established neurological phenomenon called the massed-spaced effect—which demonstrates that we tend to retain information better when studied in spaced intervals rather than in a single, intense session—better known as cramming for an exam—the study aimed to better understand whether non-brain cells aid in memory.
Just as brain cells are exposed to patterns of neurotransmitters when we learn new information, the researchers in the study replicated learning over time by exposing two types of non-brain human cells (one from kidney tissue and one from nerve tissue) to various chemical signal patterns in a lab.
When the non-brain cells saw a pattern in the data, they activated a “memory gene”—the same gene that brain cells activate when they reorganize their connections to create memories.
The scientists genetically modified these non-brain cells to produce a glowing protein that showed when the memory gene was on and off in order to track memory and learning.
The findings demonstrated that these cells could detect when the chemical pulses, which mimicked brain neurotransmitter bursts, were repeated instead of merely prolonged—just as our brain’s neurons can detect when we learn with breaks rather than absorbing all the information at once.
In particular, the “memory gene” was activated more potently and for a longer period of time when the pulses were given at intervals rather than all at once.
The massed-space effect is at work here, according to Kukushkin, a research fellow at NYU’s Center for Neural Science and a clinical associate professor of life science at NYU Liberal Studies. It demonstrates that the capacity to learn through spaced repetition is not specific to brain cells but may actually be a basic characteristic of all cells. “.
The findings also suggest new avenues for memory research and possible health benefits, the researchers add.
“This discovery opens new doors for understanding how memory works and could lead to better ways to enhance learning and treat memory problems,” says Kukushkin.
On the other hand, it implies that in the future, we will have to treat our bodies more like our brains. For instance, think about how our pancreas recalls the patterns of our previous meals in order to keep our blood glucose levels within normal ranges, or how a cancer cell recalls the patterns of chemotherapy. “.”.
Thomas Carew, a professor at NYU’s Center for Neural Science, and Kukushkin co-supervised the study. NYU researcher Tasnim Tabassum and Robert Carney, who was an undergraduate researcher at NYU at the time of the study, were also authors of the study.
