The worm re-grows its head after breaking with the intact brain

Through the study, the worm can regenerate the broken head, more specifically it retains the memory in the new brain.

Researchers at Tufts University (USA) have identified a small yellow worm known as the Planarian worm , which has long been studied for its regenerative properties . Thereby, the scientists found that this worm can regenerate the broken head but the special point is that it retains the memory in the new brain.

Planarian worm

Accordingly, after the worm is cut off from the head, the rest of the body will regenerate a new brain and can relearn the lost skills quickly.

Scientists examined the memory of the Planarian worm by measuring how long it took them to access food in a controlled environment. Although this small worm does not like open spaces and lots of light, it is practiced to get used to it and gradually move towards where there is food.

Even after being cut off from the head, the worms that have gone through the training process can still overcome the fear of space and light. They start eating and eating much faster than untrained worms. However, memory does not return immediately. They still need to recall the previous knowledge learned because it not only learned a single lesson.

The reason for explaining this problem so far is not really clear. The Planarian worm's brain controls their behavior, but researchers think that part of their memory is stored somewhere on the body. It is possible that the brains of the Planarian worm modulate their nervous system and the system then influences the process of new brain formation when the head grows again.

Currently, researchers still conduct many experiments to understand and explain how the Planarian worm restores its memory. The study was published in Experimental Biology.