Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 1, 2026
08:05
A Prediction Error-driven Retrieval Procedure for Destabilizing and Rewriting Maladaptive Reward Memories in Hazardous Drinkers
Published on: January 5, 2018
10.2K
Engram Cell Excitability State Determines the Efficacy of Memory Retrieval
Michele Pignatelli1, Tomás J Ryan1, Dheeraj S Roy2
1RIKEN-MIT Center for Neural Circuit Genetics at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Biology and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Neuron
|December 16, 2018
Summary
Recent memory reactivation temporarily boosts brain cell (engram cell) excitability. This enhances memory recall and improves context recognition, aiding adaptive survival behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Memory Research
- Behavioral Biology
Background:
- Adaptive survival depends on efficient memory retrieval.
- Memory engram labeling technology enables precise study of memory recall.
- Understanding the neural basis of memory retrieval is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of memory reactivation on engram cell excitability.
- To determine how transient changes in excitability affect memory retrieval and context recognition.
- To explore the role of engram cell plasticity in adaptive behavior.
Main Methods:
- Utilized memory engram labeling technology to identify and track specific memory traces.
- Measured engram cell excitability following memory reactivation.
- Assessed behavioral outcomes related to memory retrieval and context recognition.
Main Results:
- Memory reactivation leads to a transient increase in engram cell excitability.
- Enhanced engram cell excitability improves the accuracy and effectiveness of specific memory retrieval.
- This transient excitability boost enhances context recognition abilities.
- Recent activation of an engram influences subsequent recall of contextual memory.
Conclusions:
- A novel mechanism of transient enhancement in context recognition mediated by engram cell excitability plasticity has been identified.
- Engram cell excitability state critically influences memory retrieval outcomes.
- This plasticity may play a vital role in promoting adaptive behaviors for survival.
Related Concept Videos
01:12Retrieval
444
Retrieval is the process of getting information out of memory storage and back into conscious awareness. This ability is essential for daily tasks like brushing hair and teeth, driving to work, and performing job duties. Retrieval occurs in three ways: recall, recognition, and relearning.
Recall involves accessing information without cues, such as during an essay test, where individuals must retrieve facts and concepts from memory unaided. Another example is remembering the name of a colleague...
Recall involves accessing information without cues, such as during an essay test, where individuals must retrieve facts and concepts from memory unaided. Another example is remembering the name of a colleague...
444
01:45ER Retrieval Pathway
4.8K
In the secretory pathway, vesicles transport proteins from one cellular compartment to another in forward transport to deliver the protein to its correct location. Occasionally, misfolded proteins and incorrect proteins escape their original compartments, and a retrieval pathway is used to return the escaped proteins to their original compartment.
The ER uses many checkpoints to prevent the entry of incorrectly folded or a resident protein as cargo onto a transport vesicle. These mechanisms...
The ER uses many checkpoints to prevent the entry of incorrectly folded or a resident protein as cargo onto a transport vesicle. These mechanisms...
4.8K
01:29Self-Efficacy
224
Self-efficacy is the belief in one's capacity to organize and execute actions necessary to manage prospective situations. This belief significantly influences how individuals approach goals, tasks, and challenges across different domains of life.Psychological and Educational ImpactsIndividuals with strong self-efficacy are more resilient in the face of difficulties. They are more likely to adopt effective problem-solving strategies, persist through obstacles, and regulate emotions such as...
224
01:23System of Memory
7.4K
Memory is categorized into three major systems: sensory memory, short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM). These systems differ in their capacity and the duration for which they can hold information. Sensory memory captures raw sensory input from the environment, holding it for just a few seconds or less. For example, on hearing a brief, loud sound, like a car horn honking, the sound seems to linger in the mind for a moment even after it stops. This is an instance of sensory memory...
7.4K
01:24Working Memory
873
Working memory refers to a combination of components, including short-term memory and attention, that allow an individual to hold information temporarily as we perform cognitive tasks. It is an essential cognitive function that enables the execution of complex tasks such as problem-solving, comprehension, and reasoning. Unlike short-term memory, which simply involves the storage of information for a brief period, working memory involves the active manipulation and processing of this...
873
01:18Long-Term Memory
676
Long-term memory is a relatively permanent type of memory, capable of storing vast amounts of information over extended periods. Its storage capacity is generally considered unlimited.
Long-term memory can be categorized into two primary types: explicit and implicit memory. Explicit memory, also known as declarative memory, involves the conscious recollection of information that we deliberately try to remember, recall, and articulate. This type of memory encompasses specific facts, events, and...
Long-term memory can be categorized into two primary types: explicit and implicit memory. Explicit memory, also known as declarative memory, involves the conscious recollection of information that we deliberately try to remember, recall, and articulate. This type of memory encompasses specific facts, events, and...
676