The mechanism behind how memory works as well as the molecular basis behind it is now understood, scientists at the University of Bristol have reported.
Our ability to remember the objects, places and people within our environment is vital for everyday life, though the importance of this is only fully appreciated when recognition memory begins to fail, as in Alzheimer’s disease.Scientists led by Zafar Bashir, Professor of Cellular Neuroscience, have achieved the breakthrough by successfully preventing visual recognition memory in rats by blocking certain mechanisms that control the way that nerve cells in the brain communicate.
"This is a major step forward in our understanding of recognition memory. We have been able to show that key processes controlling synaptic communication are also vital in learning and memory," said Bashir.
It is crucial that one possess the ability to recognise elements in the surrounding environment such as faces or places, as well as the ability to learn about that environment, for a normal functioning in the world.
Bashir tested a particular hypythesis behind memory mechanism, which says that changes at the specialised junctions (synapses) between nerve cells in the brain hold the secrets to learning and memory. The change in the strength of communication between synapses is called synaptic plasticity and, it is believed, the mechanisms of synaptic plasticity may be important for learning and memory.
"Nerve cells in the perirhinal cortex of the brain are known to be vital for visual recognition memory. Using a combination of biological techniques and behavioural testing, we examined whether the mechanisms involved in synaptic plasticity are also vital for visual recognition memory," said Dr Sarah Griffiths, lead author on the paper.
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This indicated that such memory relies on specific molecular processes in the brain.
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The research is published online in Neuron.
Source-ANI
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