Believe it or not! It is not just the brain that can store memories, but cells outside the brain have the memory-storing capabilities, too! Even cells around the kidneys seem to remember in a way similar to brain cells. According to a study published recently in the Nature Communications journal, all cells in a human body can retain memories and learn something new. It was usually thought that learning and memory involved only brain cells. However, scientists have used a method known as spaced repetition to find that cells from other parts of the body could work in a similar manner!

Cellular memory is not a new idea. The groundbreaking study by New York University (NYU) examined the massed spaced effect on memory in cells other than the brain. The massed-spaced effect, also known as the spacing effect, is a cognitive psychological phenomenon that describes how learning is more effective when study sessions are spaced out over time, rather than massed together. Researchers have found that information sticks better when it is reviewed in short, spaced-out sessions rather than all at once!

Researchers, led by NYU scientists Nikolay V Kukushkin and Thomas J Carew (the Julius Silver Professor of Neural Science and Psychology at NYU), examined how this particular function (the spacing effect) of brain cells worked in other cells of the human body. They carried out the study mainly on two types of non-brain cells, one from nerve tissue and one from kidney tissue, subjecting them to varied patterns of chemical signals, mimicking how neurotransmitters were released during brain activity.

Researchers noticed that certain body cells, like those from nerve and kidney tissues, seem to “remember” in a way similar to brain cells! “Our study shows that other cells in the body can learn and form memories too,” stressed Kukushkin. He added: “It turns out that learning from spaced repetition is not unique to brain cells, but is probably the basic character of all cells!“

Scientists are of the opinion that this character of the cells can be exploited and the response can be elicited accordingly. Ultimately, the study may lead to new directions in medical science. According to Kukushkin, the discovery opens new avenues for memory research and potential treatments for memory disorders. He stated: “It could transform how we consider memory’s role across the body. For instance, understanding cellular memory might impact approaches to metabolic health or cancer treatment, given that cells throughout the body appear capable of retaining information from repeated patterns.“

Kukushkin believes that scientists may also treat the entire human body like a brain in the future.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das