Abstract
Recent experiments on so-called chemical transfer of memory may indicate at first glance that the possibility of transfer of the memory of a large number of reaction patterns in this manner requires the assumption of a correspondingly large number of specific chemical substances. It is shown that this is not necessarily the case. A mechanism is conceivable in which a single substance is responsible for “memory” transfer for a large number of distinct patterns. Mechanisms involving only about one hundred different specific substances could conceivably be responsible for chemical transfer of memory of some 1050 spatial patterns.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature
Ewald, J. R. 1892.Physiology of the Nervous System (Physiologische Untersuchengen über das Endorgan des Nervus Octavus), Weisbaden, J. F. Bergman.
Fjerdingstad, E. J., Th. Nissen and H. H. Røigaard-Petersen. 1965. “Effect of ribonucleic acid (DNA) extracted from the brain of trained animals on learning in rats.”Scand. J. of Psych.,6(1), 1–6.
Householder, Alton S. 1939. “Studies in the Mathematical Theory of Excitation.”Bull. Math. Biophys.,1(3), 129–141.
— 1940. “A Neural Mechanism for Discrimination III: Visually Perceived Lengths and Distances.” —Ibid.,2(4), 157–167.
Landahl, Herbert D. 1938. “A Contribution to the Mathematical Biophysics of Psychophysical Discrimination.”Psychometrika,3, 107–125.
McConnell, James V. 1965a. “Cannibals, Chemicals and Contiguity.”Anim. Behav.,13, 61–68.
— 1965b. “A Tape Recorder Theory of Memory.”Worm Runners' Digest,7(2), 3–10.
— 1965c. “Effects of the Presence or Absence of Slime on Classical Conditioning in Planarians.”Amer. Zool.,5(4), 122 (abs.).
Rashevsky, N. 1938. “Contribution to the Mathematical Biophysics of Visual Perception with Special Reference to the Theory of Aesthetic Values of Geometrical Patterns.”Psychometrika,3, 253–271.
— 1950. “Some Bio-Sociological Aspects of the Mathematical Theory of Communication.”Bull. Math. Biophysics,12, 359–378.
— 1957. “Contributions to the Theory of Imitative Behavior.”Bull. Math. Biophys.,19, 91–119.
— 1959.Mathematical Biology of Social Behavior. Revised Edition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Rashevsky, N. 1966a. “Physics, Biology and Sociology: a Reappraisal.”Bull. Math. Biophys.,28, 283–308.
— 1966b. “A Sociological Approach to Biology.” —Ibid.,28, 655–661.
— 1967. “Organismic Sets: Outline of a General Theory of Biological and Social Organisms.” —Ibid.,29, 139–152.
— 1968. “Organismic Sets II.” —Ibid.,30, 163–174.
Rosenblatt, Frank. 1962.Principles of Neurodynamics. Sparta Books, Washington, D.C.
Rosenblatt, Frank. 1964. “A Model for Experimental Storage in Neural Networks.” InComputer and Information Sciences, Eds. J. Tou and R. Wilcox, pp. 16–66.
Rosenblatt, Frank. 1967. “Recent Work of Theoretical Models of Biological Memory.” InIbid. Computer and Information Sciences, Ed. J. Tou.
—, John T. Farrow and Samuel Rhine. 1966a. “The Transfer of Learned Behavior from Trained to Untrained Rats by Means of Brain Extracts I.”Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci.,55, 548–555.
— 1966b. “The Transfer of Learned Behavior from Trained to Untrained Rats by Means of Brain Extracts II.” —Ibid.,55, 787–792.
— and Rodman G. Miller. 1966c. “Behavioral Assay Procedures for Transfer of Learned Behavior by Brain Extracts I.” —Ibid.,56, 1423–1430.
Ungar, G. and C. Oceguerro-Navarro. 1965. “Transfer of Habituation by Material Extracted from Brain.”Nature,207, 301–302.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rashevsky, N. Some possible theoretical implications of experiments on the chemical transfer of memory. Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics 30, 341–349 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02476702
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02476702