New Delhi . It is generally believed that the brain stores memories, but research has revealed that other parts of the body also work to store memories.
This research, published in the journal Nature Communications, opens a new path for the treatment of brain disorders.
Lead author Nikolay V. Kukushkin of New York University in the US said that other cells in the body can also learn and form memories.
The researchers found that, just like brain cells, nonbrain cells also activate memory genes in response to new information.
When brain cells detect patterns in information, they activate memory genes and reorganize their connections to form memories.
Apart from this, to monitor the memory and learning process in cells other than the brain, the team has tried to find out through proteins whether the memoryforming genes are working or not.
The experiment showed that cells other than those in the brain can recognize when chemical signals, much like neurotransmitter signals in the brain, are being repeated. The team found that this process is similar to the process in the brain in which neurons fire when learning new things. It also revealed that cells work better when they learn by taking breaks, such as the neurons of our brain learn more effectively when we take breaks.
The team said that when the pulses were given at different intervals, they activated the memory genes more strongly and for longer periods of time, whereas giving the same treatments all at once did not.
“When the pulses were given at intervals, they retained the “memory genes” more strongly and for longer periods of time,” the team said.
Kukushkin said the research shows that the ability to learn through spaced repetition is not limited to just brain cells, but is done by all cells.
In addition to offering new ways to investigate memory, this research also suggests treating our bodies like our brains for better health.
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Image Credit: KhasKhabar.