Reckoning the Unresolved Scientific Question on Memory Transfer

Abstract

Memory formation occurs within the central nervous system (CNS), specifically in the hippocampal region of brain. The notion that memories are only located within the brain has been challenged by reports of some patients that they have “inherited memories” from their donor after organ transplantation; some even experienced personality changes and picked up hobbies or preferences similar to their donor. Recently, a research team has reignited the embers of this theory by using scientific method to show that memory can be genetically transferred from one sea snail to another. Nevertheless, even as more and more scientific mysteries are being unravelled, memory remains an elusive entity shrouded in the haze of many unresolved hypotheses. To seek clarity on what is currently known, this write-up summarizes and consolidates records associated with the theory of “cellular memory” and experiments evaluating the possibility of memory transference by genetic materials like RNA.