Putting mice into hibernation causes a major loss of synapses
Neuroscientists have discovered that inducing a hibernation-like state in mice causes a massive loss of synapses, yet the animals retain their memories. This study challenges existing theories about how long-term memories are physically stored in the brain.
Why it matters
Understanding how memories persist despite neural turnover could lead to breakthroughs in treating neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.
I seem to recall… Putting mice into hibernation causes a major loss of synapses Hibernation cuts down on synapses, but mice seem to retain memories anyway.
2 Credit: Sasha Fox Walters Credit: Sasha Fox Walters Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Minimize to nav Our leading hypothesis for how our memories are stored is that when you learn something, the connections among neurons involved get stronger and physically larger, and that constitutes the memory. The trouble is that these connections significantly change over time—they’re plastic.
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