Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id TAA11891 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Sun, 20 May 2001 19:14:02 +0100 Subject: Fwd: Brain researchers from UCLA, Johns Hopkins discover role of key protein in converting short-term memories into lifelong ones Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 14:09:46 -0400 x-sender: wsmith1@camail2.harvard.edu x-mailer: Claris Emailer 2.0v3, Claritas Est Veritas From: "Wade T.Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu> To: "Memetics Discussion List" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Message-ID: <20010520180946.AAA2809@camailp.harvard.edu@[205.240.180.162]> Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
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Brain researchers from UCLA, Johns Hopkins discover role of key protein
in converting short-term memories into lifelong ones
Scientists from UCLA and Johns Hopkins University have taken the first
step in discovering how the brain, at the molecular and cellular level,
converts short-term memories into permanent ones. Their study will appear
May 17 in the journal Nature.
The study's lead author, postdoctoral researcher Paul Frankland,
conducted his work in the laboratory of Dr. Alcino Silva at UCLA's Brain
Research Institute. Previous studies, Frankland noted, point to the
critical role of the cerebral cortex in establishing lifelong memories.
But the neurobiology underlying memory storage has been a mystery.
"Memories last different amounts of time," Frankland said. "You might
remember a phone number for just a few minutes, for example, while
certain childhood events will be remembered for a lifetime. Our study
reveals the role of a protein that must be present in the cortex for
information to be converted from short-term into lifelong memories."
In a healthy brain, the hippocampal area stores information on a
temporary basis, somewhat like a computer holds data in its random access
memory. When the brain converts information into permanent memory, much
like writing data to a computer hard drive, the hippocampus interacts
with the cerebral cortex. If problems occur in either the hippocampus or
cortex, however, memory impairment can result.
To better understand this process, Frankland and his colleagues trained
mice to accomplish certain tasks. Half the mice were genetically normal
and half had reduced levels of a key protein known as a-CaMKII. The
genetically altered mice had normal hippocampal function but impaired
cortical function.
Initially, both sets of mice showed an ability to learn, indicating
proper functioning of the hippocampus in acquiring short-term memories.
When testing took place several days later, the normal mice easily
remembered their training. By contrast, the memories of the genetically
altered mice were severely impaired, meaning that the protein-deficient
cortex did not convert information into permanent form.
"The information simply went away in the genetically altered animals - as
if it was never stored in the cortex," Silva said. "This is the first
molecular manipulation to affect memory so late after training. It
provides new insights into how mice store long-term memories at the
molecular and cellular level. Our study indicates that the a-CaMKII
protein triggers changes in cell-to-cell communication needed for
establishing permanent memories in the cortex. Therefore, these studies
provide a key molecular and cellular hint of how we hold on to our oldest
memories." In future studies, the brain researchers plan to study other
proteins involved in memory storage. At some point, their discoveries may
play a role in developing new treatments for certain types of memory
problems in humans.
Working on the study with Frankland and Silva were Masuo Ohno of UCLA and
Cara O'Brien and Alfredo Kirkwood of the Department of Neuroscience and
the Mind/Brain Institute at Johns Hopkins. Their paper is entitled
"a-CaMKII-Dependent Plasticity in the Cortex Is Required for the
Establishment of Permanent Memory Traces."
Contact: Alan Eyerly
aeyerly@support.ucla.edu
310-794-2271
University of California, Los Angeles
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