Scientists discover ‘zone of uncertainty’ enables the brain to rapidly form new memories

The neocortex is the largest and most complex part of the brain and has long been recognized as the ultimate storage site for memories. But how are traces of past events and experiences laid down there? Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research and the University of Freiburg Medical School have discovered that a little understood brain area, the zona incerta, has an unconventional way of communicating with the neocortex to rapidly control memory formation.