You can still form long-term memories even if the brain’s 'master switch' for learning is completely turned off.
April 13, 2026
Original Paper
Dissecting the molecular triggers of early and late long-term potentiation
bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.04.09.717511
The Takeaway
For decades, neuroscientists believed a specific protein called CaMKII was the indispensable key to turning short-term thoughts into permanent memories. This discovery proves the brain has a hidden backup system for learning, overturning one of the most fundamental rules of how we think.
From the abstract
The brain stores information by changing the strength of its synapses, a process that has at least two phases: Late long-term potentiation (L-LTP) is thought to result from the consolidation of early LTP (E-LTP), just as long-term memory requires the prior establishment of short-term memory. Recently, inhibitory avoidance experiments under CaMKII inhibition have challenged this notion, demonstrating long-term fear memory without measurable short-term memory. Here we use optogenetic activation an