Memory consolidation is widely understood to involve de novo protein synthesis, as the administration of protein synthesis inhibitors such as anisomycin and cyclohexamide prevents the formation of long-term memory following initial learning. A new study shows that in anaesthetized rats, intrahippocampal infusion of anisomycin or cyclohexamide reduces (and can even abolish) overall hippocampal electrical activity. These findings indicate that the reported effects of protein synthesis inhibitors on memory consolidation may have been confounded by their silencing effects on neural activity.