memory storage
the retention of memories in an organism. Historically, explanations of this process have included the continuous operation or “reverberation” of loops of neurons in cell assemblies (see cell assembly; reverberating circuit), the growth of new nerve endings grouped in synaptic knobs, and the encoding of information in complex molecules, such as RNA. Contemporary biological research suggests changes in synaptic efficiency as the basis of memory storage, as postulated in the research of Austrian-born U.S. neuroscientist Eric Kandel (1929– ).