Most of us think memories are stored only in the brain, but a recent study suggests that cells from other parts of the body can “remember” as well.
This surprising discovery was made by a team of scientists at New York University (NYU), who found that non-brain cells can perform memory functions similar to brain cells.
This breakthrough could open new ways to improve learning and treat memory-related conditions.
Traditionally, memory and learning have been linked to the brain and its neurons, or brain cells.
But the NYU team, led by researcher Nikolay V. Kukushkin, wanted to see if cells outside the brain also have memory-like abilities.
The study, published in Nature Communications, looked at two types of non-brain human cells—one from nerve tissue and one from kidney tissue—in a lab setting.
To simulate learning, the researchers exposed these non-brain cells to different patterns of chemical signals.
This is similar to how neurons in the brain respond to neurotransmitters when we learn something new. Surprisingly, the non-brain cells reacted by turning on a “memory gene”—the same gene activated in brain cells when they form memories.
The researchers used a clever way to track the activation of this memory gene. They engineered the cells to produce a glowing protein that would light up when the memory gene was active. This allowed them to monitor when the cells “remembered” the chemical signals.
One of the most interesting findings was that these non-brain cells responded differently based on how they received the signals.
When the chemical signals were spaced out at intervals, similar to spaced repetition in studying, the memory gene stayed active for a longer time and more strongly.
But when the signals were given all at once (like cramming for a test), the response was weaker and shorter-lived.
This reflects the well-known “spaced-learning effect,” where people remember information better when it is spaced out over time rather than crammed in a single session.
According to Kukushkin, this finding suggests that the ability to learn from spaced repetition is not limited to brain cells but may be a general property of many cells in the body. “It shows that the massed-spaced effect might be fundamental to all cells,” he explains.
This discovery has far-reaching implications, as it could help researchers explore memory in new ways and possibly lead to better strategies for treating memory disorders. Kukushkin also points out that it may change how we think about the body’s role in memory, suggesting that organs like the pancreas or even cancer cells may “remember” patterns in our habits, diets, or treatments.
The research was a collaborative effort at NYU, supervised by Kukushkin and Thomas Carew, with contributions from other team members, including Tasnim Tabassum and Robert Carney. These findings could lead to breakthroughs in understanding memory and treating health conditions that rely on cellular memory across the body.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about dietary strategies to ward off dementia, and how omega-3 fatty acids fuel your mind.
For more health information, please see recent studies about Choline deficiency linked to Alzheimer’s disease, and what to eat (and avoid) for dementia prevention.
