X-Message-Number: 19330
Date: Sat, 22 Jun 2002 09:08:25 -0400
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: CryoNet #19323 - #19328

A bit more on electrical activity in our brains:

Ben Best in his discussion of this issue states that our memories
occur because of changes in the strength of synapses. This is 
a popular view but there is some strong experimental evidence
against it when you look up close at operating neurons this 
idea, though very popular, looks false.

I have been discussing this issue in PERIASTRON. One reference 
to look at is the Journal of Neuroscience 23(3)(2002) in which
several prominent researchers discuss the evidence against 
the notion that our brains and synapses remain the same. The 
recent PERIASTRON which I sent out has information on synapses.
Apparently squirrels, when hibernating, lose almost all their
synapses (for instance). I will give this reference in a later
message tonight (I'll have to look at a disk, which is hard
to do in the middle of writing a message).

Just exactly how our memory works remains unknown. However it
looks like the old theory of Hebb (which Ben Best summarized,
and which remains popular among neuroscientists) has started
to break down as we become able to look experimentally at
this question.

(to be continued)

		Best wishes and long long life for all,

			Thomas Donaldson

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