Past Neuroscience Studies Sugged Memories of Events that Occurred at Short Time Intervals from One of the other are of often connected, via a process referred to as memory. While Memory Linking is now a Well-Documented Phenomenon, its neural underpinnings have not ben full elocidated.

Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) recently carried out a study aimed at better understanding the neural processes that contribute to memori Their findings, Published in Nature neuroscienceSugged that dendritic plasticity, the adaptation of dendrites (IE, Branch-Like-Like Extensions of Neurons) over time, plays a key role in the linking of memory.

“A few years back, in a landmark study published in Nature in 2016, we demonstrated that memory fold hours apart are linked because they are stored in a common set of neurons in the hippocampus, “Alcino silva,” Alcino silva Wanted to know: where within these neurons are these memories stored and linked? What was causing these neurons to be recruited? “

While Answering These Research Questions in an Experimental Setting was unfeasible a few years ago, Since then silva and his colleagues have developed new tools and technologies to proobe subcellular mehanisms. In collaboration with yiota poirazi’s laboratory at the foundation for research and technology in create, they then set out to investigate how dendritic and synaptic dynamics could cutribute to memory linking, Employing Modeling Techniques.

“In an earlier theoretical study Also published in 2016, we predicted that in addition to being stored in common neuronal population, linked memories should also reside with reside with

“Inspired by these findings and with the help of our multidisciplinary team, we set out to reveal whether and how dendritic mechnisms may also the linking of memory

As part of their recent study, the researchrs employed three different but complementary imaging techniques. Using these techniques, they visualized three distinct subcellular compartments in living mice, namely the Soma, Dendrites and Spines from Neurons.

“We showed that when Mice Form Two Memories Close in time, we can see that many of the same somas, dendritic branches, and spines are involved in forming these two memorys,” extrained megha sehgal, the fires Author and a co-corresponding author of the paper.

“In a second class of experiences, we used sophisticated gentic tagging techniques to manipulate these neuronal somas and dendrites. Or even the dendrites and found just this simple intervention in one brain region, the retrosplenial cortex, was enough to link these memory! “

Silva, sehgal and their collegues found that, following their experience, MICE BECAME SCARED OF A Box that was previous unimportant to them, simply beCause the Memory of this Box Was Was Was Stored in Same dendrites that stored memory of a box in which they experienced an Electric Shock. In collaboration with Poirazi and Her Lab, they then used computational modeling technique to explain their observations.

“By simulating a bio-realistic network of neurons with dendrites and localized plastic, the model showed that logalized dendritic plasticity mechanisms are negaree for reply for reply for replysary for replysary for replysary for reply. Linked memories, such as their recruitment of the same dendrites, clustering of synapses, and stability over time, “Said Sehgal.

The findings gathered by this research team sugges that the linking of memory in the mouse brain is supported by highly locked changes (IE, within a few micrometers) on neuronal dendrites. Silva, Sehgal and their colleagues hypotsize that Similar Localized Dendritic Changes Cold also Play a Role in other types of memory processes.

“Although Localized Changes have been reported in Previous Studies in Cell Cultures and Brain Slics, We Did Not Know Their Function,” said sehgal. “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of their usefulness in animal behavior.”

This Recent Study Could Soon Pave the Way for Further Research Exploring The Contribution of Dendritic Plasticity to Specific Well-Documes Memory Processes. In addition, it would help to better undersrstand disorders associateed with an impaired ability to link memory.

“Our Findings are important for undersrstanding how memorys are linked across time to form memory episodes as well as for addressing memory definitions where memery To alzheimer’s disease, “explained poirazi.

“By providing a Mechanistic understanding of Memory Linking, Our Work Serves as a first step towards the developments of new treates that may target sucheet suchisms in ORDER to Remedy Respectivity Memory Reperactive Memory.”

In their future research, sehgal and her lab at the ohio state university will continue to exploring the underpinnings of dendritic plasticity that contributes to the linking and encoding of memories. In addition, they plan to further investment the memory-Related Plasticity Patterns that they observed as part of their recent study.

“We discovered that compartmentalized plasticity plays a critical role in dickting how memory are stored in the future, but we do not know the underlining Mechanisms,” Said Sehgal. “My Lab is now digging Deeper into the circuit and molecular processes that allows this plasticity.”

Poirazi and her collaborators at the foundation for research and technology are now working to extend their computational models to simulate Other Brain Areas and Their Contribution to Different Cognitive Tasks. They hope that these models will help them to better understand the role of dendritic mechanisms in learning and memory functions, while also unveiling some of their Most Important Features.

“In Parallel, Given the Key Role of Dendrites in Biological Learning and Memory, We Initiated a New Research Line Whereby We adopt dendritic mechanisms In Artificial Neural Network Systems (EG, CHAVLIS and POIAZI, Nature Communications 2025), with the AIM of Making Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Systems More Robust, Intelligent and Efficient, Like the Brain. “

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