Abstract
The understanding of the physiology of learning is dominated by two basically different hypotheses. The deterministic view, following Hebb’s (1949) concept of the memory engram, presupposes a memory groove which is built during memory formation by the adaptive change of a relatively small number of reacting sites or switch points. These so-called ’switchpoint theories’ or ‘place theories’ assume that memory involves a discrete set of cells reserved for the special function of information storage (Young 1964; Eccles 1964; Ungar 1970). The non-deterministic or statistical theory is based on Lashley’s (1950) findings which suggest that all, or nearly all, stored information is distributed throughout the whole association cortex rather than by distinct association paths or centres. The individual neuronal switch points may then be involved in the storage of many different memory traces (John 1967, 1972). The two views are similar in that they take the adaptivity of single synapses between neurones as the basic modifiable component of the nervous system (Eccles and McIntyre 1953; Eccles 1964; Ungar 1970; John 1972). They differ, however, in their conception of the gross structure of the memory system. The crucial problem, then, is to locate the stored information. The spatio-temporal pattern of activity during memory formation produces a localised change in the excitability of specific neurones. It should be possible to find such neurones using the same techniques as have been employed for the location of units in the sensory integration centres.
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Menzel, R., Erber, J., Masuhr, T. (1974). Learning and Memory in the Honeybee. In: Barton Browne, L. (eds) Experimental Analysis of Insect Behaviour. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-86666-1_14
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