When neurons form memories

Although long-term memory is central among our cognitive functions, the search for a direct neurophysiological correlate to it has proven difficult. The formation of new memories depends on the hippocampus and adjacent cortex, but the final storage is thought to be in a widely distributed neocortical network. Recent experiments, using simultaneous recordings from hundreds of sites in monkey neocortex, have revealed the activation of such a distributed network -- probably reflecting the consolidation of long-term memory storage.