(originally In Search of Memory ) is a groundbreaking 2006 memoir by Nobel laureate Eric R. Kandel . It seamlessly interweaves Kandel's personal history—starting with his childhood in Nazi-occupied Vienna—with the intellectual history of how a "new science of the mind" emerged over the last 50 years . Core Narrative & Personal History The book is structured around two parallel stories:
Kandel recounts his early years in Vienna, where his family faced persecution following the 1938 Nazi annexation . This trauma fueled his lifelong fascination with memory and human behavior, leading him from a background in history and psychoanalysis to a career in neurobiology . En Busca De La Memoria Eric R Kandel epub
He demonstrated that learning causes physical and chemical changes in the strength of connections (synapses) between nerve cells . (originally In Search of Memory ) is a
To study memory at a cellular level, Kandel famously utilized the giant sea slug ( Aplysia californica ), which has large, easily identifiable neurons . Core Narrative & Personal History The book is
His research proved these are formed by different biological signals. Short-term memory involves temporary chemical changes at the synapse, while long-term memory requires the synthesis of new proteins and the growth of new synaptic connections . Critical Themes
He offers a poignant critique of Austria’s historical failure to confront its role in the Holocaust compared to Germany’s "soul searching" . Reader Resources