# The molecular memory code and synaptic plasticity: a synthesis

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2209.04923 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.04923/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 11 Sep 2022.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [ROSE: A Neurocomputational Architecture for Syntax](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.08877/) (2023)
- [Learning to Control Rapidly Changing Synaptic Connections: An Alternative Type of Memory in Sequence Processing Artificial Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.09440/) (2022)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The most widely accepted view of memory in the brain holds that synapses are the storage sites of memory, and that memories are formed through associative modification of synapses. This view has been challenged on conceptual and empirical grounds. As an alternative, it has been proposed that molecules within the cell body are the storage sites of memory, and that memories are formed through biochemical operations on these molecules. This paper proposes a synthesis of these two views, grounded in a computational theory of memory. Synapses are conceived as storage sites for the parameters of an approximate posterior probability distribution over latent causes. Intracellular molecules are conceived as storage sites for the parameters of a generative model. The theory stipulates how these two components work together as part of an integrated algorithm for learning and inference.