Science:"记忆碎片"是真的吗?

Engrams and circuits crucial for systems consolidation of a memory

半个多世纪以来，神经学家们一直以为长期记忆是由于多个短期记忆储存起来形成的。而最近一项对记忆形成的神经回路的研究则表明这一说法有可能是错的，因为两种类型的记忆（长期与短期）能够同时产生。这项研究是由来自MIT的研究者们做出。他们参考了此前标记特殊”记忆”细胞的手段，并更进一步地强制性使小鼠对特定的记忆作出反应。并且断开了长期与短期记忆的连接。

Memories are thought to be formed in the hippocampus and later moved to the neocortex for long-term storage. However, little is known about the mechanisms that underlie the formation and maturation of neocortical memories and their interaction with the hippocampal network. Kitamura et al. discovered that at the onset of learning, neurons for contextual fear memory are quickly produced in the prefrontal cortex. This process depends on the activity of afferents from both the hippocampus and the amygdala. Over time, the prefrontal neurons consolidate their role in memory expression. In contrast, the hippocampal neurons slowly lose this function.