Hysteresis and Molecular Memory Record

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Abstract
The problem of memory and learning is discussed on the basis of a concise review of our present knowledge in this intriguing field of behavioral research. The results of a great variety of biochemical and biophysical studies support the current comprehension that biological information storage has a chemical molecular basis. Before a biosynthetic consolidation of phenotypic memory takes, however, place, there must be a physical interaction between the electric impulses of the neuronal network with an already existing molecular matrix. A mechanism proposed for fast imprint with low energy expenditure comprises conformational metastability (in certain cases leading to hysteretic phenomena) and conformational changes in macromolecules and macromolecular organizations such as membranes. Some physico-chemical aspects of a molecular memory system are discussed and a biopolyelectrolytic model system is described.

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