engram

engram

 [en´gram]

a lasting mark or trace. In psychology, it is the lasting trace left in the psyche by anything that has been experienced psychically; a latent memory picture.

en·gram

(en'gram),

In the mnemic hypothesis, a physical change or memory trace made on the central nervous system of an organism as a result of experience or the repetition of stimuli.

[G. en, in, + gramma, mark]

engram

[en′gram]

1 a hypothetical neurophysiological storage unit in the cerebrum that is the source of a particular memory.

2 an interneuronal circuit involving specific neurons and muscle fibers that can be coordinated to perform specific motor activity patterns. Thousands of repetitions may be needed to establish an engram.

3 the permanent trace left by a stimulus in nerve tissue.

engram

Fringe psychiatry/Dianetics
A traumatic memory that prevents a person from achieving self-fulfillment; it is believed that engrams can be removed by a therapist (“auditor”) using an “E-meter”, which measures galvanic skin response.

Psychiatry
A memory trace, a neurophysiological process that accounts for persistent memory.

en·gram

(en'gram)

In the mnemonic hypothesis, a physical habit or memory trace made on the protoplasm of an organism by the repetition of stimuli.

[G. en, in, + gramma, mark]