Are our memories hidden somewhere other than in our brains ?

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Intuition would suggest that our memories are stored exclusively in the meanders of our brain. However, a recent discovery by New York researchers has challenged this evidence. Their work, published on November 7 in the journal Nature Communications, suggests that our ability to memorize is not solely the preserve of brain cells. From kidney cells to peripheral neurons, our organic tissues are also said to have their own memory.

Our cells, guardians of our memory

It was Prof. Nikolay V. Kukushkin and his team who shed light on this previously unknown phenomenon. They observed two types of cells in the laboratory: peripheral nerve cells (the basic units of the nervous system located outside the brain and spinal cord) and kidney cells. As a result of these observations, the scientists concluded that they, can also record and process information. The latter, long considered to be mere executors, activate the same “memory gene” than their cerebral cousins ​​when faced with repeated stimuli.

To capture this molecular dynamic, the researchers equipped these cells with a light signature: a fluorescent protein that lights up at the rate of activation of the memory gene. This approach made it possible to follow the memorization process in real time at the cellular level. It's as if the cell were equipped with a small light bulb. This lights up when a specific event occurs, in this case, when the cell remembers.

Spaced learning: a universal cellular property

While last-minute “cramming” remains a fairly common practice among students, our cells seem to favor a more methodical strategy. By artificially reproducing learning sequences, scientists have discovered that non-brain cells respond remarkably well to spaced stimulations.

Faced with chemical signals that mimic neurotransmitters, they demonstrate optimal learning capacity when information is presented to them at regular intervals. This cellular response echoes the spacing effect, a well-established phenomenon in cognitive psychology. It refers to the fact that learning is more effective and lasting when study sessions are spread out over time, rather than concentrated in a single long session. Until now it was considered a specific feature of the brain, but this is apparently not the case.

Therapeutic applications in sight?

While at first glance this discovery may seem relatively minor, this is not the case. Kukushkin explains: “This discovery opens new perspectives for understanding how memory works and could lead to better methods for improving learning and treating memory disorders. It also shows that in the future, we will have to consider our body as a real player in memory. For example, think about what our pancreas can remember about our meal habits to regulate glucose, or how a cancer cell remembers chemotherapy cycles ».

From then on, several therapeutic applications are imaginable, although these would deserve more in-depth research and are more a matter of extrapolation. By better understanding how peripheral nerve cells and other tissues store information, we could develop new strategies to slow or reverse the progression of diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

One could also imagine greater personalization of cancer treatments; by studying how cancer cells remember these treatments, one could develop strategies to make them more effective and reduce the phenomena of resistance to chemotherapy. Regarding pancreatic cells, if they keep a memory of fluctuations in blood sugar levels, it would possibly be possible to develop new approaches to regulate insulin production and prevent complications of diabetes. Without a doubt, despite all the progress of modern medicine, the human body still retains a great deal of mystery; this study is proof of that.

• Researchers have discovered that non-brain cells have the ability to memorize thanks to a common gene.
• These cells respond better to spaced stimuli, thus reproducing the spacing effect.
• This discovery could pave the way for the development of therapeutic advances to treat diseases such as Alzheimer's, diabetes or improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy.

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