New Findings on Memory Challenge Traditional Theories, with Implications for Thai Education and Health
A recent study from a leading U.S. university rethinks how memories are formed. Published in a top neuroscience journal, the research questions the long-held belief that memory storage relies solely on synaptic strengthening or weakening. The work highlights the brain’s hippocampus and how memory representations may evolve even in familiar contexts.
Traditionally, scientists described memory through synaptic plasticity—connections between neurons that grow or shrink with experience. The saying “neurons that fire together wire together” captures this idea. The new study, led by a senior neurobiologist, suggests a more nuanced picture. Neuronal representations appear to change over time, even when environments feel familiar, pointing to a dynamic process beyond classic models.