MIT researchers have made a breakthrough discovery on how certain brain cells store memories. A new model explains how place and grid cells work together to create a memory scaffold, revealing new insights into how we connect places and events in our memory. This research could advance both artificial intelligence and human memory understanding.
The study, led by Professor Ila Fiete, introduces a novel way the brain might store episodic memories tied to specific experiences. Grid cells, which aid spatial navigation, collaborate with place cells in the hippocampus to create an “index” of memory. This index marks patterns in grid cells as placeholders for memories while storing details in the sensory cortex.
The researchers’ model has significant implications, particularly in understanding human memory and conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. It also sheds light on the “memory palaces” technique used in memory competitions, which helps people remember large amounts of information by linking it to familiar structures.
Source: https://hoodline.com/2025/01/mit-brainiacs-crack-code-of-memory-storage-placing-memories-mapped-in-revolutionary-study