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Locating the engram: Should we look for plastic synapses or information-storing molecules?
Jesse J Langille1, Charles R Gallistel2
1McGill University, Montréal Neurological Institute, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Neurobiology of Learning and Memory
|January 17, 2020
Summary
Neurobiology debates two memory theories: associative/connectionist (A/C) and computational/representational (C/R). Both see memory emerging from the brain, but differ on its neural substrate and location.
Area of Science:
- Neurobiology
- Cognitive Science
- Neuroscience
Background:
- The search for the engram, the physical trace of memory, began nearly seventy years ago.
- Contemporary neurobiology features two main theories of learning and memory: associative/connectionist (A/C) and computational/representational (C/R).
Purpose of the Study:
- To present and contrast the associative/connectionist (A/C) and computational/representational (C/R) conceptions of memory.
- To highlight areas of agreement and contention between these two neurobiological theories.
- To discuss unresolved questions and potential future research directions for understanding the neurobiological basis of memory.
Main Methods:
- Review and synthesis of existing theories on the neurobiological basis of learning and memory.
- Comparative analysis of the associative/connectionist and computational/representational models.
- Identification of key unresolved questions and proposed future research avenues.
Main Results:
- The A/C theory posits memory cognition emerges from patterned neural activity and reorganized synaptic strengths, which provide a blueprint for neural activity but are not symbolic themselves.
- The C/R theory proposes memory resides in intracellular molecular structures that function as information-processing units, akin to computer memory.
- Both theories acknowledge memory as an emergent property of the brain but differ on whether the substrate is at the circuit or intracellular molecular level.
Conclusions:
- Significant divisions persist in understanding the neurobiological substrate of memory.
- New research necessitates a re-evaluation and discussion of both A/C and C/R theories.
- Further investigation is required to resolve key questions regarding the neural basis of memory and learning.
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