Prions reinforce connections between neurons

2013/02/21 Carton Virto, Eider - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Anatomia/Fisiologia
• Biokimika

Researchers from the International School of Advanced Research of Trieste have explained in the journal Journal of Neuroscience the function of the normal prion variant in the brain. The protein is abundant in neurons and, being associated with the membrane, the researchers suspected that it participates in interneuronal signals, but they did not have great tests. Now, Italian researchers have seen that it controls a process that reinforces connections between neurons.

The experiment has focused on the electrical excitation of brain samples of a few days mice, hippocranks, samples of healthy mice and genetically modified mice without prions. The results have shown that in neurons of healthy mice there is a long-term reinforcement, that is to say, the connection between two neurons excited simultaneously, the transmission of the signal. However, they observed the opposite phenomenon in neurons of mice without prions. The researchers have explained that in the first one the protein kinase A is activated and in the second the protein lipase C.

The strengthening of long-term hippocampus is considered fundamental for the learning and development of memory, and this study has revealed the role of prions in this process.