Our ability to learn and form new memories is fully
dependent on the brain’s ability to be plastic – that is to change and adapt
according to new experiences and environments. A new study from the Montreal
Neurological Institute – The Neuro, McGill University, reveals that DCC, the
receptor for a crucial protein in the nervous system known as netrin, plays a
key role in regulating the plasticity of nerve cell connections in the
brain. The absence of DCC leads to the
type of memory loss experienced by Dr. Brenda Milner’s famous subject HM. Although HM’s memory loss resulted from the
removal of an entire brain structure, this study shows that just removing DCC
causes the same type of memory deficit. The finding published in this week’s
issue of Cell Reports, extends Dr. Milner’s seminal finding to another level,
revealing a key part of the molecular basis for learning and memory.