Engram Memory Encoding and Retrieval: A Neurocomputational Perspective

Understand

Despite substantial research into the biological basis of memory, the precise mechanisms by which experiences are encoded, stored, and retrieved in the brain remain incompletely understood.

• A growing body of evidence supports the engram theory, which posits that sparse populations of neurons undergo lasting physical and biochemical changes to support long-term memory.
• Yet, a comprehensive computational framework that integrates biological findings with mechanistic models remains elusive.
• This work synthesizes insights from cellular neuroscience and computational modeling to address key challenges in engram research: how engram neurons are identified and manipulated; how synaptic plasticity mechanisms contribute to stable memory traces; and how sparsity promotes efficient, interference-resistant representations.