memory patterns

There have been many theories through the ages about the nature of the memory and where it is located. Aristotle was of the opinion that the memory was placed in a person s heart, while his thinking process was going on in his head.

Plato s theory that the memory was like a tabula rasa (a clean slate) has lasted throughout the course of history. He said that impressions were carved on to a wax tablet, just as an artist engraves his motifs with a sharp instrument.

This theory resembles what we know about ˜engrams or ˜memory patterns . Impressions create lasting patterns in the nerve system of the brain, which is the reason why we can remember.

Most memory researchers agree that memories are stored in the cortex of the brain.

Interesting experiments have been carried out to transfer memory chemically. RNA (Ribonucleic acid) was transferred from one animal to another and it turned out that one animal actually ˜inherited memories from the other.

If memory could be transferred chemically, could it also be inherited genetically, from one generation to another?