Book Author: Lauren Slater Chapter 9: Memory Inc
Summary
This chapter focuses on Eric Kandel’s research with memory. It is a direct response to the previous chapter that dealt with Dr. Loftus' "Lost in the mall" experiments. The chapter begins with the story of Henry who was operated on by Dr. Scoville, who removed Henry’s hippocampus. After the surgery Henry lost the ability to form memories. This story made Kandel set out to learn about neurons through the study of sea slugs. He discovered that the neurons grew stronger when an electrochemical signal reinforced the relationship. He also discovered CREB and the CREB repressor. CREB is a molecule in the brain that triggers the genes that produce the proteins that make memories.
Discussion
As Slater explains, Kandel is one of the oldest persons she talks about in her book. However, at his old age, he is still working on cutting edge science. I wonder what Loftus thought about his discovery on the CREB molecule.
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