/sci/ - Science & Math

>>5795144
>Ok so they demonstrate that a simple conditioned behaviour has biochemical effects on some neurones.
No, and I resent that gross misrepresentation of brilliant work. They demonstrated that when conditioning a gill withdraw reflex, electrochemical changes occurred (serotonin release of the sensory neuron leading to a cascade of cAMP, PKA, CREB, which regulates potassium channels in the motor neuron causing <span class="math">behavioral[/spoiler] habituation to repeated stimulation, and thus, memory. They charted the entire process, from sense to recall behavior. And again, that was back in the fucking 70's.

As an interesting side note, the discovery of the involvement of CREB later also lead to the discovery of LTP.

>Is this applicable to higher order behaviours?
Oh yes it is. This principle is applicable to pretty much <span class="math">any[/spoiler] species. It's been demonstrated time and time again in mice, rats, and even monkeys. Even with learning complex motor tasks and spatial memory and such this cascade pops it's head up.

Getting back to the original question as well, 'Fuck knows' is the wrong answer. It's not like we know everything there is to know about memory, but we sure as shit know a lot about it.