Chemical Basis of Memory: Approaches Using Molar and Smaller Systems

Contemporary assumptions about memory storage in the nervous system are that: (1) it is the expression of a change in the efficacy of synaptic transmission in specific pathways in the central nervous system that mediate the behavior that is remembered; (2) this change is the expression of a biochemical change in the neurons in question. The purpose of this brief paper is to: (1) define the nature of the problems of memory storage in more specific terms based on our knowledge of synaptic transmission and general biochemical regulatory processes; (2) describe two approaches to this problem that will ultimately contribute to its understanding in biochemical terms: (a) a molar approach in which the assay of memory is the behavior of an organism and in which certain types of biochemical and pharmacological studies can point to underlying biochemical mechanisms; (b) an approach using smaller systems in which direct physiological, pharmacological and biochemical measurements can be made of the factors regulating changes in the efficacy of synaptic transmission as a function of repetitive stimulation of a specific synapse.