1. The set of neurons that was active only during learning was determined.
2. The genes activated in those neurons were determined.
3. Genetic engineering was done to make the activation of those genes always happen in conjunction with activation of the gene being responsible for the neuron becoming sensitive to light.
4. The mouse was put through a learning experience, during which the small group of neurons affected became sensitive to light.
5. Via stimulating those neurons with light, the experience was reproduced in the mouse in a completely different environment (so the comparisions to Pavlov are not justified).
In this way the abstract concept of a memory and of the process of remembering something was related very closely to a specific physical phenomena. Even the methods used to make the experiment are interesting by themselves (at least for a lay person) and I think you cannot easily dismiss the importance of this discovery as some people do here. Please read the article here to get a better picture:
1. The set of neurons that was active only during learning was determined.
2. The genes activated in those neurons were determined.
3. Genetic engineering was done to make the activation of those genes always happen in conjunction with activation of the gene being responsible for the neuron becoming sensitive to light.
4. The mouse was put through a learning experience, during which the small group of neurons affected became sensitive to light.
5. Via stimulating those neurons with light, the experience was reproduced in the mouse in a completely different environment (so the comparisions to Pavlov are not justified).
In this way the abstract concept of a memory and of the process of remembering something was related very closely to a specific physical phenomena. Even the methods used to make the experiment are interesting by themselves (at least for a lay person) and I think you cannot easily dismiss the importance of this discovery as some people do here. Please read the article here to get a better picture:
http://www.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/conjuring-memories-artifi...