The molecular basis of memory is poorly understood. There is some evidence that changes in the shape of certain proteins can play a role. The standard laboratory model for memory is called long-term potentiation and appears to involve a process called protein phosphorylation, in which a kind of decoration, called a phosphate, is added to the protein to stabilize the shape that holds on to the memory. There is also evidence that shape changes similar to what happens in prion disease may underlie memory.
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