Editorial Team

A recent study published in Nature (Nature Communications Published: 08 May 2024 Spontaneous persistent activity and inactivity in vivo reveals differential cortico-entorhinal functional connectivity Krishna Choudhary, Sven Berberich, Thomas T. G. Hahn, James M. McFarland & Mayank R. Mehta) He highlighted a new type of memory, highly efficient, which is activated even during sleep and forms memories while significantly reducing metabolic costs. The mechanism occurs in the part of the brain called the entorhinal cortex.

The discovery is due to a study led by UCLA University, with the use of a 'mathematical microscope', an innovative approach based on mathematical models applied to biology.

This memory is practically always on, and is based on a circuit that involves the outermost layer of the brain, the neocortex, and deeper regions including the entorhinal cortex. Researchers led by Mayank Mehta observed that signals from the neocortex resemble waves that form and then break on the shore, while the entorhinal cortex is like a swimmer following the movement of the water.

When we sleep, the entorhinal cortex remains in a persistent state of inactivity despite incoming signals, a mechanism never observed before.
“Such a perfect or near-perfect match between the predictions of a mathematical theory and experiments is unprecedented in the field of neuroscience,” comments Mehta.

“The interesting aspect is that the combination of inactivity and persistent activity – continues the researcher – doubles the memory capacity, while reducing the energy cost”.

In light of this, the question arises spontaneously: "but then the Hippocampus and the Amygdala are not the only main structures responsible for memory, with very high energy expenditure, therefore it seems that both the physiological mechanism linked to "memories" and the cognitive-mnemonic pathologies whose fields of observation should be extended to the entorhinal cortex need to be reviewed, and finally, the therapeutic applications resulting from the first two aspects. The journey of memory has just begun ....

If you want to be updated on the latest news, sign up for the newsletter