Alzheimer disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that impairs memory and mental function. It is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60–70% of cases, and its prevalence is increasing worldwide, a trend that is expected to continue for the next few decades. Memory loss in Alzheimer disease is driven by the loss ofContinueContinue reading “Refining HDAC inhibition to restore memory”
Tag Archives: memory
A nap to remember
Sleep and memory are closely related. In fruit flies, rodents and humans, sleep deprivation impairs memory consolidation, whereas sleep improves memory. But the physiological nature of the relationship between sleep and memory is poorly understood. Does the mechanism that promotes sleep also consolidate memory, or are there two separate processes at work? Paula Haynes, BethanyContinueContinue reading “A nap to remember”
Xenon gas helps rats forget fear
Reconsolidation occurs when memories are recalled and re-encoded in the brain; during this process, the memories become temporarily susceptible to modification. Therefore, the reconsolidation process may provide a therapeutic window for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other emotional memory disorders. Xenon gas can inhibit receptors that are involved in fear memory reconsolidation. Edward Meloni andContinueContinue reading “Xenon gas helps rats forget fear”
Locating ‘working memory’ in crows
Intelligence relies in part on ‘working memory,’ which temporarily stores information needed for ongoing cognitive processes. In mammals, working memory is housed in the prefrontal cortex. Corvids (birds including crows and ravens) are known for their intelligence and also have a working memory. But their brain structure is different from that of mammals and lacksContinueContinue reading “Locating ‘working memory’ in crows”
Eternal sunshine of the rodent mind
Throughout life, new neurons are generated in the hippocampus, where they form a structure that supports memory creation. When new neurons are integrated into the hippocampus, they compete with existing cells, forging new synaptic connections that may weaken or replace older ones. As a result, high rates of hippocampal neurogenesis may drive the loss ofContinueContinue reading “Eternal sunshine of the rodent mind”
Evidence for sophisticated memory in rats
Memory is a complex phenomenon involving the encoding, storage and retrieval of information. Different types of memory can be defined by the particulars of these steps and of the information in question. For example, ‘source’ memory is a representation of the origin of a piece of information or the conditions surrounding its acquisition. Source memoryContinueContinue reading “Evidence for sophisticated memory in rats”
The link between methylation and memory
Alterations in epigenetic regulation, processes that affect the availability of genes for transcription and hence their expression levels, are known to have a role in diseases such as cancer. Growing evidence suggests that epigenetic changes are also involved in aging. DNA methylation is one form of epigenetic regulation. Several studies have reported that methylation declinesContinueContinue reading “The link between methylation and memory”
Synchronicity belies simplicity in short-term memory
Most of us draw on our visual recognition and short-term memory abilities many times a day and with relatively little fanfare, but these seemingly mundane activities have rather complex underpinnings within our brains. The tasks involve different, non-adjacent brain regions: short-term memory formation occurs in the lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), and visual information processing primarilyContinueContinue reading “Synchronicity belies simplicity in short-term memory”
Astrocytes ‘feed’ memory formation
Astrocytes were initially considered ‘extras’ in the brain, supporting neurons, the principal actors. But more recent work has suggested that they are involved in cognitive functions such as information processing, signal transmission, and neural and synaptic plasticity. Now these star-shaped cells are moving farther into the spotlight, as new research shows them to be essentialContinueContinue reading “Astrocytes ‘feed’ memory formation”
Chimps have a head for numbers
Chimpanzees may have better numerical memory than humans, according to a recent report by Sana Inoue and Tetsuro Matsuzawa of the Primate Research Institute at Kyoto University, Japan (Curr. Biol. 17, R1004–R1005; 2007). Their results challenge the widely held belief that humans have superior cognitive function across the board compared with nonhuman primates. Lab Anim.ContinueContinue reading “Chimps have a head for numbers”
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