Buried deep underneath the folds of the cerebral cortex, neural stem cells in the hippocampus continue to generate new neurons, inciting a struggle between new and old as the new attempts to gain a foothold in memory-forming center of the brain. [tip: we do not know where and how memory is stored but anyway] Researchers have found they can bias competition in favor of newly generated neurons. Results may have implications for PTSD, MCI, and age-related memory loss. (1)

The new always fights with the old. The old always fights with the new. But they are essentially the same. Why not have an old neuron “store” (how? We do not know yet) a “new” memory? Why not use a new neuron hold an “old” existing memory? Who/ what “decides” which memory to store? And why on Earth do we always view the ‘new’ as better than the ‘old’?

The new always fights with the old.

The old always fights with the new.

Fighting a fight that is not their own…