Volatile working memory representations crystallize with practice. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38750359/)

These scientists taught mice how to remember and make decisions based on different smells. The mice had to remember two smells and then choose the correct one after a short wait. The scientists used a special technique to block certain neurons in the mouse brains during different parts of the task. They found that when they blocked specific neurons during the late wait time and decision-making, the mice had a hard time completing the task.

The scientists also looked at the activity of many brain cells in different areas of the mouse brains while they were learning the task. They found that as the mice got better at the task, certain brain cells in a specific area called the secondary motor cortex became more active and helped the mice remember better during the late wait time. This brain area seemed to be very important for remembering things during the task.

The scientists also found that the brain activity related to remembering things during the late wait time changed as the mice practiced the task. At first, the brain activity was a bit messy and changed from day to day, but as the mice got better at the task, the brain activity became more stable and consistent. This shows that the brain needs time to practice and get better at remembering things.

Bellafard A., Namvar G., Kao JC., Vaziri A., Golshani P. Volatile working memory representations crystallize with practice. Nature. 2024 May 15. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07425-w.