Baudry and his team say that calcium is needed to stimulate the proteins in our brains that allow our synapses to undergo memory-related changes that can last. When a connection between neurons is repeatedly or strongly activated, like an association between memories (‘park’ and ‘trees’, say), calpains are activated at that exact location. The calpains then change the structure of our synapses, leading to a stronger connection between the activated memory cells in the brain. It seems only when calpains come for a visit that we see the transformation from simple experience to lasting memory.
