Common fruit fly key to discovery as to how memories are
written into brain cells
Scientists have identified a key molecule responsible for
triggering the chemical processes in our brain linked to our formation of
memories. The findings, published in the
journal Frontiers in Neural Circuits, reveal a new target for therapeutic
interventions to reverse the devastating effects of memory loss.
The BBSRC-funded research, led by scientists at the
University of Bristol, aimed to better understand the mechanisms that enable us
to form memories by studying the molecular changes in the hippocampus — the
part of the brain involved in learning.
Previous studies have shown that our ability to learn and
form memories is due to an increase in synaptic communication called Long Term
Potentiation [LTP]. This communication
is initiated through a chemical process triggered by calcium entering brain
cells and activating a key enzyme called ‘Ca2+ responsive kinase’
[CaMKII]. Once this protein is activated
by calcium it triggers a switch in its own activity enabling it to remain
active even after the calcium has gone. This special ability of CaMKII to
maintain its own activity has been termed ‘the molecular memory switch’.