Cited by 1,087Memory and Neural MechanismsMemory Processes and InfluencesNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research

Memory engrams: Recalling the past and imagining the future

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Josselyn, Sheena A., Tonegawa, Susumu·2020·Science

Abstract

The neural substrate of memory: The ability to form memory is an essential trait that allows learning and the accumulation of knowledge. But what is a memory? There has been a long history of searching for the neuronal substrate that forms memory in the brain, and the emerging view is that ensembles of engram cells explain how memories are formed and retrieved. In a Review, Josselyn and Tonegawa discuss the evidence for engram cells as a substrate of memory, particularly in rodents; what we have learned so far about the features of memory, including memory formation, retrieval over time, and loss; and future directions to understand how memory becomes knowledge. Science , this issue p. eaaw4325

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Crossref · 10.1126/science.aaw4325

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  • Place cells encode the animal's position in an environment and, more generally, events of episodic experience, and have been causally linked to memory functions.

    “These neurons encode the animal’s position in an environment1 and, more generally, events of episodic experience2–4 and have been causally linked to memory functions5–7.”

    From Place and behavioral modulation of hippocampal neurons during immobility (2026) · cites this paper as [7]

    In “Engrams, place cells, and sleep” (page unavailable), the paper describes location-specific firing and says stable place cells may be important in spatial or contextual memory engrams. It also distinguishes place cells from engram cells: most tagged engram cells were place cells, but most place cells were not tagged. The paper reports causal manipulations of engram cells, but the cited passages do not establish a causal link between place cells as a class and memory functions. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Engram neurons are key mediators of memory storage and retrieval.

    “For decades, small populations of neurons known as engram neurons have been identified as key mediators of memory storage and retrieval 1 – 3 .”
  • Rodent studies have shown that hippocampal engram cells are reactivated during recent memory recall, whereas neocortical engram cells are reactivated during remote memory recall.

    “Rodent studies have shown that hippocampal engram cells are reactivated during recent memory recall, whereas neocortical engram cells are reactivated during remote memory recall 3 , 5 , 6 .”

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Research works printed but not linked: 8

  1. [12]Lashley KS, in Society of Experimental Biology Symposium, No. 4: Psychological Mechanisms in Animal Behavior, Danielli JF, Brown R, Eds. (Academic Press, 1950), pp. 454– 482.
  2. [20]Moscovitch M, in Science of Memory: Concepts, Roediger HLI, Dudai Y, Fitzpatrick SM, Eds. (Oxford Univ. Press, 2007), pp. 17– 29.
  3. [29]Young JZ, in Cephalopod Neurobiology: Neuroscience Studies in Squid, Octopus and Cuttlefish, Abbott NJ, Williamson R, Maddock L, Eds. (Oxford Univ. Press, 1995), pp. 431– 443.
  4. [44]Fanselow MS, Lester LS, in Evolution and Learning, Bolles RC, Beecher MD, Eds. (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 1988), pp. 185– 212.
  5. [68]Milner PM, Cell assemblies: Whose idea? Psycholoquy 10, 1 (1999).
  6. [82]Pavlov I, Conditioned Reflexes (Oxford Univ. Press, 1927).
  7. [198]Tayler KK, Tanaka KZ, Reijmers LG, Wiltgen BJ, Reactivation of neural ensembles during the retrieval of recent and remote memory. Curr. Biol 23, 99– 106 (2013). doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.11.019 23246402 · DOI
  8. [226]Barlow HB, in The Cognitive Neurosciences, Gazzaniga MS, Ed. (MIT Press, 1995), pp. 415– 435.

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Authors
Josselyn, S. A., & Tonegawa, S.
Affiliations
  • Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CA)
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
Corresponding author
  • Josselyn, Sheena A.
  • Tonegawa, Susumu
Venue
Science
Published
2020-01-03
Volume
367
Issue
6473
ISSN
  • 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
  • 1095-9203
OpenAlex
W2998470023
Cited by
1,087
References
240
Citations by year
2026: 165 · 2025: 224 · 2024: 199 · 2023: 159 · 2022: 157 · 2021: 111 · 2020: 70 · 2019: 1
FWCI
16.83
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • DSpace@MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
Funders
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  • JPB Foundation
  • Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
  • RIKEN Brain Science Institute
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (FDN-388455)
  • NIMH (1 R01 MH119421-01)
  • NSERC
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
Keywords
memory engrams, engram cells, memory storage, memory retrieval, intrinsic excitability, synaptic plasticity, single-unit recording, memory reconsolidation
MeSH terms
Animals, Brain, Brain Chemistry, Humans, Memory Disorders, Neurons, Mental Recall

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