When the mind forgets, it may not mean the brain has forgotten - at least that's the case with barn owls. For the wise birds, learning new skills then reverting back to old methods requires nothing more than pulling up the correct neurological map, according to Stanford researchers, who have studied the owls in their quest to find out how the brain learns and forgets. Ina series of incremental advances over the last three years, Eric Knudsen and his team have determined how cells in the owl's brain learn to respond correctly to sound. In May 7 issue of Science, Knudsen and postdoctoral fellow, Weimin Zheng, PhD, now report that they have worked out the opposite side of the equation-how cells in the owl's brain forget the incorrect responses.