Memory backup. Our brain stores 3 copies of each memory

I often write that our brain consumes a huge amount of energy, and therefore nootropics play a rather mediocre, but still important role. Without motivation and personal understanding: “what am I doing and why exactly”, there can be no talk of any progress. And this rule is confirmed by the fact that to form one memory, the brain creates three copies of it.

Like a computer system with built-in redundancy, the brain uses three different sets of neurons to store a single memory. This opens the door to both rethinking learning systems and erasing traumatic memories.

Neurons and Backup Formation

By imaging the brains of mice, researchers from the Biozentrum of the University of Basel were able to see what happens when a new memory is formed. They foundthat the rodent brain activates three different groups of neurons to record a memory. The first group is known as early-born neurons. They develop first and continue to grow as the fetus develops. The second group is late-born neurons, which appear late in embryonic development. In between are neurons that form while the fetus is still in the womb.

Where memory is formed

An imaging study has shown that if a new memory is stored in neurons formed early in the embryo's development, the memory is very difficult to retrieve at first, but the longer it is repeated or learned, the more firmly it settles in the mind.

On the other hand, a copy of a memory stored in late-born neurons will be actively reproduced at first, but will eventually weaken to the point that it will eventually become inaccessible to the brain.

The memory copy recorded in the middle neurons showed the greatest degree of stability compared to the previous two groups.

In this cross-section of the mouse hippocampus, the early neurons responsible for creating the long-term memory copy are shown in purple. University of Basel, Biozentrum

The Potential of Memory Backups

The problem the brain faces in the context of memory is quite impressive. On the one hand, it must remember what happened in the past in order to make sense of the world we live in. On the other hand, the brain must adapt to the changes happening around us, and adapt our memories to help us make good choices for the future.
Flavio Donato, head of the research group at the Biocentre.

This new understanding has allowed researchers to gain a deeper understanding of how memories are formed. And how we access them. Of course, this mechanism is specific to mice, but its principles are quite similar to how the human brain works.

However, the researchers believe that their work may have implications for the treatment of people affected by PTSD. Memory formation is subject to modification. If a memory is fresh, then late-born neurons are activated, and the nature of the memory can be changed before the memory settles on the middle and early-born neurons. However, once the late-born neurons are activated and the memory is stored there, it becomes increasingly difficult to change. In fact, the longer a memory is stored in the brain, the more difficult it is to change.

The dynamic way in which memories are distributed across the brain is evidence of the brain's plasticity, which underlies its vast memory capacity.
Lead author of the study is Wilde Kveim.

Understanding this plasticity, thanks to the work done by Kveim and his team, may one day help scientists figure out how to help people access memories thought to be lost forever. Or silence painful memories that pathologically intrude and disrupt everyday life.

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