Scientists have discovered key elements that control long-term memory

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A multi-agency team of researchers has found that at least two different brain networks have two different processes - excitable and inhibitory - during memory consolidation. Excitable neurons are involved in creating memory traces, inhibiting neurons blocking background noise and making long-term learning happen.
A recent paper published in the journal Nature by professors Nahum Sonenberg, Arkady Khoutorsky, Professor Jean-Claude Lacaille of the University of Montreal and Professor Kobi Rosenblum of the University of Haifa also found that each neuron system can be selectively manipulated to control long-term memory, according to a report from McGill University in Canada. The study answers a long-standing question about which neurosynthetics are involved in memory consolidation and its potential impact on new targets for treating diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and autism that involve changes in memory processes.
short-term memories that last only a few hours translate into long-term memories that can last for years? Decades ago, it was known that this process, called memory consolidation, requires the synthesis of new proteins in brain cells. Until then, however, it was not known which neuron subsypes were involved in the process.
to determine which neural networks are essential for memory consolidation, the researchers used genetically modified mice to manipulate a particular molecular path, the eIF2 alpha gene, in specific types of neurons. This path path played a key role in controlling the formation of long-term memory and regulating the synthesis of proteins in neurons. In addition, early studies have determined that the eIF2 alpha gene is essential for neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases.
"We found that stimulating protein synthesis through eIF2 alpha in excitable neurons in the excitable body is sufficient to enhance memory formation and synapses, which are the communication areas between neurons. Rosenblum said.
However, interestingly, "we also found that stimulating protein synthesis in a class of inhibitory neurons (inter-growth neurons) by eIF2 alpha is also sufficient to enhance long-term memory by regulating the plasticity of neuron connections." Lacaille said.vijendra Sharma,
associate researcher at Sonenberg's lab and lead author of the paper, added, "It's interesting to see how these new participants, inhibitory neurons, play an important role in memory consolidation." Until now, it was thought that the eIF2 alpha path path path is used to regulate memory through excitable neurons. The
"New Development" have identified new targets for inhibiting protein synthesis in neurons, especially growth of inhibitor cells, as possible therapeutic interventions such as Alzheimer's disease and autism. Sonenberg concluded, "We hope this will help design prevention and post-diagnosis treatments for people with diseases including memory impairment." For
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