Engrams: the marks of experience in our brain

We understand by engrams the brain traces that each of our experiences leave us. This process where small neuronal structures are formed after a certain sensation, a shocking event or an emotion that is impossible to forget, was already defined at the time by Hinduism: they were the Samskaras., imprints of a memory to learn from.

Although no one currently doubts the existence of engrams, the mechanism by which these brain imprints are formed remains a mystery. We know, for example, that When we live an experience with high emotional tension, a stable neuronal interconnection structure is instantly generated which will subsequently influence all of our mental functioning: thoughts, emotions and behaviors. Something, without a doubt, fascinating.

However, The way in which this “neural mark” will determine our behavior is something that no one can predict.. Thus, and given this subtle mechanism of action, there are those who see engrams as a kind of brain “chips”; that is, as records on “our hard drive” that drive us to react in a certain way.

They could perhaps be the ones who articulate many of our fears, they who push us to react in a certain way to certain stimuli – based, for example, on a series of engrams that were formed in our childhood. We are talking about an interesting topic that is worth delving into.

Engrams or the marks of our experiences

We were talking at the beginning of the term Samskara. In this philosophical context, Hindus coined a word to capture this very common phenomenon. Let’s think about how, sometimes, we act in a singular way when faced with certain events almost without knowing why. Within this spiritual current, the Samskara are interpreted as the codes of “karma”.like imprints of a memory that is integrated into both our body and our mind.

At the same time, it is curious to see that in different scientific disciplines, such as neuroscience, this idea has an almost parallel story. Let’s look at an example. Ana is 5 years old and is learning to ride a bicycle. At one point, a large dog pounces on her and bites her seriously. Now, 20 years later, Ana still doesn’t dare to ride a bike. She is not afraid of dogs, but An engram was created in his brain where he relates the act of pedaling with shock and pain.

Scientists explain to us that engrams They are evident proof of how classical conditioning is orchestrated in our brain. That is, why we sometimes react in a certain way to stimuli that appear to be quite “neutral”. Now, for this to take place, for an engram to form in our brain, there must be an activation of the limbic system, that is, we must experience a particular, revealing… intense emotion (whether positive or negative).

Engrams and our psychic universes

Today we know that a large part of our psychic life is built on engrams. When we see a rose, for example, we experience a certain delight because we somehow anticipate its smell, even though it does not reach us. When we drink a cup of chocolate we evoke childhood memories, when we listen to music that is familiar to us, we instantly experience a whole series of sensations of well-being, delight and satisfaction.

Engrams make up our consciousness and like the neural networks that develop as we experience, they are like anchors that trace everything we are, what makes us react, vibrate with fear or happiness… It is organic and electrical matter organized based on our interactions.. However, for neurologists it is a challenge to shed light on how this “physical-chemical-neural” network is produced, through which synaptic pathways they are created and what type of neurons are organized to form an engram.

It is fascinating for scientists to think that there is a type of nerve cell specific for this function. They are, so to speak, organic structures whose sole function is to form part of our consciousness, build our psyche, organize themselves into small “micro-chips” of memory where small traces of what we are live.

Recent studies, such as those carried out by neurologists Michele Pignatelli, Tomás J. Ryan and Susumu Tonegawa, reveal something important to us. When we are born our brain is already genetically prepared so that the engrams begin to activate within seconds of arriving into the world. It is as if each of us had a factory computer, which, when “turned on”, began to install its own software.

Now, for this programming to be the most optimal, the most resistant as well as agile and effectivewe need our first experiences, those of childhood, to be sufficiently stimulating and positive. In this way, our first neural engrams will be foundations loaded with energy, imprints of memories and motivating learning with which to maximize our development.

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