Silent Engrams and the Ship of Theseus Paradox: Neurobiology

The article analyzes a key distinction in the neurobiology of memory between total storage failure and retrieval failure. Using the research of Tomás Ryan and Susumu Tonegawa, it presents the concept of 'silent engrams'—groups of cells that continue to store functional information despite behavioral amnesia. It has been demonstrated that in certain experimental models, where natural environmental cues fail due to protein consolidation disorders, direct optogenetic stimulation allows for the restoration of memory responses. This means that memories can remain present in the brain structure as inactive traces, shedding new light on the mechanisms of amnesia and synaptic plasticity.