The review reports on the experimental models that are used in studies of memory formation (in particular, passive avoidance training) and on brain structures, which have special relevance to this phenomenon. The advanced knowledge about the sequence of neurochemical processes that occur in the synaptic mechanisms during fixation of a memory trace is analyzed. The special role of neurospecific proteins (in particular, the cell adhesion proteins) in plastic modifications of the neuronal links relevant to memory is emphasized. Attention is drawn to the general features of the mechanisms providing the development of nerve tissue and memory formation
