Semblance Hypothesis of Memory by Kunjumon Vadakkan 1 Why do we need a new hypothesis? 2 1.Retrieval at physiological time-scales 2.Absence of overwriting of old memories by new ones 3.Correlation between LTP and memory 4.Consolidation of memory 5.Place cell firing and spatial memory 6.Relation between memory and consciousness 7.Replicate the mechanism in in physical systems 3 Memories are virtual internal sensations 4 1 in !/ ( )! = !/10 10 = 1 in 7 5x10 4 ~40 8 Where is an ideal location for the basic units of virtual internal sensations to operate? 9 What is an ideal sub-cellular location for the formation of the basic units of internal sensations? 10 Areas of convergence 11 What should be the features of the sub- cellular locations where these sensory inputs converge? 12 13 14 15 16 17 What is the likely nature of inter-postsynaptic functional LINK? 18 d e Vadakkan K.I. (2015) A pressure-reversible cellular mechanism of general anesthetics capable of alterning a possible mechanism for consciousness. SpringerPlus 4:485). What is a possible mechanism for stabilization of the inter- postsynaptic functional LINK? 19 Reversible, but stabilizable membrane hemi-fusion between the postsynapses is one of the mechanisms for inter-postsynaptic functional LINK (Vadakkan KI (2012 Frontiers in Psychology) 20 What is the functional advantage of the above structure? EPSP can spread through the hemi-fused inter-postsynaptic region from one postsynapse to the other (Vadakkan KI (2013)Frontiers in Human Neuroscience) 21 Is there any evidence for such hemi-fusions? 1.No focussed studies have been carried out yet. 2.Please refer to Figure 4D in Electron Tomographic Analysis of Synaptic Ultrastructure. Burette et al, Journal of comparative neurology 520:26972711 (2012) 22 23 24 A C D B {W} {X} {Y} Z {sr 3 } Semblion 1 {SR} {sr 1 } {sr 2 } Semblion 2 Semblion 3 * Cue stimulus N2 N1 Oscillating neuronal activities in the penultimate order 25 26 27 28 Front Neuroeng. 2011;4:8. Epub 2011 Jul 27 29 30 31 32 Comparison between the known anatomical circuitry (left) and the inter-postsynaptic functional LINK-mediated wiring (right). (Vadakkan KI (2013) Frontiers in Human Neuroscience) Hypothesized functional brain activity map 33 Neural circuitry (Modified from (Vadakkan KI (2015) Reviews in the Neuroscience) 34 Figures are from 1.Vadakkan K.I (2011) Processing semblances induced through inter-postsynaptic functional LINKs, presumed biological parallels of K-lines proposed for building artificial intelligence. Frontiers in Neuroengineering 2.Vadakkan K.I (2011) A possible mechanism of transfer of memories from the hippocampus to the cortex. Medical Hypotheses. 3.Vadakkan K.I (2010) Framework of consciousness from semblance of activity at functionally LINKed postsynaptic membranes. Frontiers in Psychology 4.Vadakkan K.I (2010) Semblance hypothesis of memory. 3rd Edition ISBN: Thank You 36