X-Message-Number: 20674
Date: Sat, 21 Dec 2002 06:41:00 -0500
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: CryoNet #20662 - #20673

Hi to Serrated Jester!

Basically everything I've read about vitrification convinces me that
it will not cause THE CURRENT MAJOR PROBLEM with freezing: breaking
of tissues into pieces and moving the pieces enough so that it's
no longer clear how they should fit together. Not only that, but so
far there don't even seem to be major chemical problems, with the
right choice of solution.

Second, you ask why I think that transient synapses would be good
bases for long term memory. I don't. I was merely describing a 
currently held theory (by many neuroscientists) which has begun to
look weaker precisely because of transient synapses. We may find 
that some synapses are transient while others remain, but the
basic problem still remains. Not only that, but its fairly well
established that one class of neurons in our hippocampus, and
the neurons in our olfactory system, both have transient connections.
Even if ALL the other synapses are fixed, that still raises a 
problem for theories of memory which depend on fixed synapses.

I hope these comments answer your questions.

              Best wishes and long long life for all,

                   Thomas Donaldson

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