Why don’t we forget how to ride a bike?

Recent neuroscience research has shed some light on why memories of complex co-ordinated activities like riding a bike are resilient. According to one theory, different parts of memories are scattered throughout the brain.

When we activate a memory, other memories partly stored in the same locations, such as how to pedal, could be reinforced. Another idea is that a nerve cell called the molecular layer interneuron interacts closely with the cerebellum, a part of the brain that helps us do complex things.

This cell takes memories encoded in electrical signals coming out of the cerebellum and somehow makes them very persistent.

Answered by Michael Simpson