Learning and Memory

Impressed by the devastating effects of cretinism, Louis Berman (1921) argued sixty-six years ago that the products of the thyroid gland were essential for the laying down of the memory trace, for cretins have poor memories and cannot learn. We now know that thyroid hormones are vital for the proper development of the synaptic connections between nerve cells in the brain and the proliferation of the outgrowths from the neurons providing such connections; but less is understood concerning the manner in which hypothyroidism in later life may affect learning and memory. It is also fair to add that analysis of the influence of a variety of humors upon memory is hampered by a lack of understanding of the neuronal basis of the process. However, there is little doubt that changes in the synaptic connections between cells are important.

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