Research to improve memory results in mice

2001/03/12 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Anatomia/Fisiologia

Work with mice has shown the importance of balancing activation and inhibition in memory storage activity. The results obtained show that in mammals, in addition to accumulation in memory, an inhibition occurs.

Research has been done with genetically modified mice to improve memory. The gene that encodes an important enzyme that commands in memory has been controlled by a drug. With the medicine mice did better memory tests, but when removed they returned to normal.

In fact, mice were introduced a gene that was activated with doxycycline antibiotic, then producing a calcineurin enzyme inhibitor. Calcineurin is a phosphatase that removes phosphate from molecules. In the brain area, the most important memory deposit, the hippocampus, the influence of calcineurin is contrary to PKA kinase. The function of CP is to bind phosphate to enzymes and participate in the process called long-term memory enhancer. Inhibition of calcineurin improves long-term reinforcement and memory.

Biochemical investigations of hippocampus samples and electrophysiological studies in live mice showed that doxycycline improves long-term recovery. Behavioral tests were performed to measure the memory of mice and the results of calcineurin inhibited mice were compared with those of mice that were not given doxycycline, as well as those of common mice.

In addition, they saw that memory improvement was a reversible process and that it did not affect other activities of mice, since animals did not undergo changes in vision, smell and ability to move. The incidence was only detected in the hippocampus.

Although this research has allowed us to study and learn more about memory, researchers say that we are still far from getting the medicine right to cure memory loss in diseases such as Alzheimer's.