(From Science Daily) The conversations neurons have as they form and recall memories have been decoded by Medical College of Georgia scientists. The breakthrough in recognizing in real time the formation and recollection of a memory opens the door to objective, thorough memory studies and eventually better therapies, said Dr. Joe Tsien, neuroscientist and co-director of MCG’s Brain & Behavior Discovery Institute. He is corresponding author on the study published Dec. 16 in PLoS ONE.

“It’s a beginning, a first glimpse of a memory,” Dr. Tsien said. “For the first time it gives us the ability to look at the brain dynamic and tell what kind of memory is formed, what are the components of the memory and how the memory is retrieved at the network level.” The finding could help pinpoint at what stage memory formation is flawed and whether drugs are improving it.

Read more here: Scientists Decode Memory-Forming Brain Cell Conversations