Key Points
Neurons can distinguish objects independent of context
Human brain stores memories more abstractly than other species
Study challenges previous scientific understanding of memory formation
Unique neuronal coding enables complex cognitive processes
Contrary to previous beliefs, individual neurons represent the concepts we learn, regardless of the context in which we encounter them.
Unlike other animals, this allows humans to establish higher and more abstract relationships, laying the foundation of human intelligence.
A study led by Dr Rodrigo Quian Quiroga, group leader of the Neural Mechanisms of Perception and Memory Research Group at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, has allowed scientists to observe for the first time how neurons in the human brain store memories independent of the context in which they are acquired.
Published in Cell Reports, the study confirms that neurons can distinguish objects or people regardless of their context, enabling the formation of higher and more abstract relationships, which constitute the basis of human intelligence.
This is the first study to observe this neuronal behavior in humans.
Until now, research conducted on animals had shown significant differences in the coding of concepts (such as a specific place, object, etc.) when the context changed. As a result, it was believed that such memories were stored in different groups of neurons.
The study led by Dr. Quian Quiroga has yielded "surprising responses" that contradict previous findings, as neuronal responses to a specific concept remain the same when the context changes, such as remembering having seen a person in different locations.
"The basic principle of neuronal coding in humans is the opposite of what has been observed in other species, which has significant implications," notes Quian Quiroga
"Memories are stored in a much more abstract manner in humans compared to other animals. You can think of concepts or anything else in more abstract terms, independent of the context in which you learned them," explains Dr. Quian Quiroga, suggesting that this could be one of the "foundations of human intelligence."
Quian continues, "This ability allows us to make much more abstract and complex associations and inferences than if we were forced to think of each concept within a specific, concrete context,"
In other words, humans can decontextualize their memories to create more abstract thought.
