Question: Are memerys stored in brain cells and if they are how many memerys can one brain cell hold

Alex Reid answered on 5 Nov 2018:

Hi thanks for your fascinating question. Brain cells store memories by interacting with other brain cells. Memories are formed when brain cells learn to link together so when one activates it will activate others. The more they fire together the more they wire together, so to speak. The brain has an absolutely incomprehensibly massive amount of inter-connectivity both between brain cells and between populations of brain cells. This is why the brain is our most complex organ and arguably the most complex thing we are aware of. We have around 100 billion brain cells, and each one of these brain cells can connect to thousands of other brain cells. Your thoughts, memories, and personality all come out of this vast network. Some groups of brain cells might be specialized for certain types of memories, and many types of memories overlap, so no one brain cell is typically responsible for a single memory. Memories instead arise when brain cells work together, a bit like a choir singing as a group. Losing one member of a choir wouldn’t stop the song!