Abstract
The acquisition of associated signals is commonly seen in life. The integrative storage of these exogenous and endogenous signals is essential for cognition, emotion and behaviors. In terms of basic units of memory traces or engrams, associative memory cells are recruited in the brain during learning, cognition and emotional reactions. The recruitment and refinement of associative memory cells facilitate the retrieval of memory-relevant events and the learning of reorganized unitary signals that have been acquired. The recruitment of associative memory cells is fulfilled by generating mutual synapse innervations among them in coactivated brain regions. Their axons innervate downstream neurons convergently and divergently to recruit secondary associative memory cells. Mutual synapse innervations among associative memory cells confer the integrative storage and reciprocal retrieval of associated signals. Their convergent synapse innervations to secondary associative memory cells endorse integrative cognition. Their divergent innervations to secondary associative memory cells grant multiple applications of associated signals. Associative memory cells in memory traces are defined to be nerve cells that are able to encode multiple learned signals and receive synapse innervations carrying these signals. An impairment in the recruitment and refinement of associative memory cells will lead to the memory deficit associated with neurological diseases and psychological disorders. This review presents a comprehensive diagram for the recruitment and refinement of associative memory cells for memory-relevant events in a lifetime.
Highlights
Associative learning stands for a process, in which multiple exogenous signals, such as information, experiences and knowledge, are jointly acquired by sensory systems
Associative memory is termed as the integrative storage of these associated signals in the brain, which is indicated by memory retrievals on the basis of speech, writing, gesture, countenance and emotion reactions
The coactivation of sensory cortical neurons makes their axon projections and synapse innervations mutually, in which these neurons are recruited to be primary associative memory cells for the integrative storage and reciprocal retrieval of multiple exogenous signals9–11. These primary associative memory cells project their axons and make synapse innervations convergently onto their downstream neurons in certain brain areas for the integrative storage of endogenous associated signals that are essential to logical reasoning, associative thinking and other integrative cognitions
Summary
Associative learning stands for a process, in which multiple exogenous signals, such as information, experiences and knowledge, are jointly acquired by sensory systems. Based on mutual innervations among associative memory cells, the associations of sensory signals for their integrative storage make each signal induce the recall of its associated signals in a reciprocal manner In the meantime, these primary associative memory cells in the sensory cortices send their axonal projections toward brain areas relevant to cognitions, emotions and behaviors, and undergo synaptic convergence with individual neurons in these areas during logical reasoning and associative thinking to recruit them as secondary associative memory cells. Associative memory cells encode new and innate associated signals for their integrative storage Their axons convergently project to and synapse onto the neurons in brain areas relevant to cognitive processes, emotional reaction and behaviors. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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