Recall from the previous post, that when a neuron's axon fires repeatedly the relevant genes (in that neuron) turn on, and the synapses that are holding the short-term memory when the synapse strengthening proteins find them, become, in effect, tattooed (from Making Memories Stick by R. Douglas Fields) It appears that this 'tattooing' process involves enzymes that cause actin to change the shape of the synapse, broadening it so that more receptors can be brought into play. Much progress has been made in the past 10 years or so to understand the details of what is going on. From ScienceDaily (Jun. 14, 2004) : Neuroscientists at the Picower Center for Learning and Memory at MIT show for the first time that storage of long-term memories depends on the size and shape of synapses among neurons in the outer part of the brain, the cerebral cortex. ... When an experience or a fact is repeated enough or elicits a powerful emotional response, it shifts from short- to long-term m
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