Defective potassium channels disrupt the brain’s navigation system

In addition to other physiological processes, the excitability of muscles and nerve cells also requires potassium

Now, a team of molecular biologists led by Thomas Jentsch and a team of neurophysiologists under the guidance of Professor Alexey Ponomarenko of the FAU Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, as well as scientists from the University of Connecticut and the University of Cologne, have discovered that KCNQ3 may also be in the Alzheimer’s Play a role in silent disease and other cognitive impairments

Precise navigation map in the brain

Under normal circumstances, the transmitter acetylcholine inhibits the flow of potassium in neurons, and the flow of potassium is necessary for cortical excitability, memory and attention

Current research explores the role of KCNQ3 channels in the neuromodulation of the brain navigation system

Knockout mice with defective KCNQ3 channels made by Thomas Jentsch's group showed different images

Combined with optogenetic experiments, a 15-micron-thick silicon probe was implanted into the hippocampus of free-behaving rodents for recording, providing exciting insights for studying brain function

Professor Ponomarenko emphasized: “Although there are not enough data for clinical applications so far, our research results indicate that the KCNQ3 channel may be a potential target for future drug research for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

Journal Reference :

1. Xiaojie Gao, Franziska Bender, Heun Soh, Changwan Chen, Mahsa Altafi, Sebastian Schütze, Matthias Heidenreich, Maria Gorbati, Mihaela-Anca Corbu, Marta Carus-Cadavieco, Tatiana Korotkova, Anastasios V.