When an important document lands on your desk, you might file it away for safekeeping. The same thing happens with our memories: they first appear in one part of the brain and then move to another for long-term storage in a process known as memory consolidation.
Publishing in the journal Science, the authors use mouse brains to demonstrate a new neural-optic system to manipulate memories. The technique hinders nerve activity -- known as long-term potentiation or LTP -- which would otherwise consolidate memory during sleep.
LTP strengthens synapses through neural activity and is critical for memory formation. When and where memories are formed in the brain can be determined by examining when and which cells undergo LTP.
Drugs can disrupt LTP, but they have a general effect and are not good at targeting specific brain regions at specific time points in memory consolidation.
The team used light to deactivate proteins essential for LTP. Switching the black suits and shades for white lab coats and safety goggles, co-author illuminates mouse brains to inhibit cofilin, a protein essential for the synapse to function.
Initially, the brains are injected with the adeno-associated virus or AAV, commonly used for gene delivery, which then expresses a fused protein made from cofilin and fluorescent SuperNova. When exposed to light, these proteins release reactive oxygen that deactivates nearby compounds like cofilin.
The occurrence of LTP in the hippocampus, where memories are first stored, is significant. When this area of the brain is irradiated, once immediately after the mouse learns a task and then again during sleep after learning, the memory is lost.
"It was surprising that eliminating local LTP by targeted illumination clearly erased memory," the author comments.
The authors believe that this new technology provides a method for isolating memory formation both temporally and spatially in the brain at the cellular level.
Synaptic abnormalities related to LTP are involved in memory and learning disorders like Alzheimer's disease and also psychiatric diseases like schizophrenia. The author concludes, "We expect our method will lead to a range of treatments for mental disorders."
https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.abj9195
How memories move during sleep?
- 1,582 views
- Added
Edited
Latest News
AI to analyze clumping prot…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Reversible, non-hormonal ma…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Dissection of the schizophr…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Protease action on controll…
By newseditor
Posted 25 May
Maternal inflammation activ…
By newseditor
Posted 25 May
Other Top Stories
SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86 is less resistant to vaccine, but better infecti…
Read more
Mitochondria-ER disruption and loss of proteostatic stress response…
Read more
Alzheimer's proteins alter the balance between the state of neurona…
Read more
Short, toxic RNAs kill brain cells and may lead to Alzheimer's
Read more
Alzheimer's disease acquired from historic medical treatments
Read more
Protocols
SEMORE: SEgmentation and MO…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Spatially resolved lipidomi…
By newseditor
Posted 24 May
Efficient expansion and CRI…
By newseditor
Posted 21 May
Massively parallel in vivo…
By newseditor
Posted 20 May
Breast cancer-on-chip for p…
By newseditor
Posted 16 May
Publications
The thalamic reticular nucl…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
PMI-controlled mannose meta…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Protein-membrane interactio…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Toward an interventional sc…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Cryo-EM reveals that iRhom2…
By newseditor
Posted 25 May
Presentations
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
RNA structure and functions
By newseditor
Posted 19 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar