THE CHOSEN: A new study finds that neurons compete to be in the lucky 20 percent that make a memory during learning or training activities.
Image: © ISTOCKPHOTO/SEBASTIAN KAULITZKI
The Brain May Use Only 20 Percent of Its Memory-Forming NeuronsStudy shows that that pace at which a brain cell activates a key protein may influence its role in memory formation—a finding that could lead to new Alzheimer therapies
By Nikhil Swaminathan @ Scientific American
Remember the old myth that people only use 10 percent of their brains? Although a new study confirmed that bromide to be apocryphal, it did find that we may only use 20 percent of the nerve cells in our midbrain to form memories.
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, and The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto monitored neurons in the lateral amygdalae (two almond-shaped regions on either side of the midbrain associated with learning and memory) of mice to see whether the presence of the CREB (cAMP response element binding) protein plays a key role in signaling brain cells to make memories.
CREB, a transcription factor that typically increases the production of other proteins in cells, is believed to be involved in memory formation in organisms from sea slugs to humans. Scientists hope that their findings, reported in the current issue of Science, may help pave the way to new treatments for Alzheimer's Disease.
In the future, Josselyn says, this mechanism could be harnessed to produce a new treatment for Alzheimer's disease. "In time, we're going to have some sort of neuron-replacement therapy for Alzheimer's," she says, conceding, "It's a little sci-fi right now." But, if new neurons are inserted into a damaged brain, modulating CREB function could help bias the healing brain to use the functioning neurons and not its injured population.
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11 comments:
That explains why I don't remember anything! lol :)
lol Katie,
we all have memory lapses
and quite a few memory blanks.
The Brain and Memory are still a mystery, how the Mind accesses information is a truly quantum unknown
It's quite interesting delving into how the mind works.
Very thought-provoking.
the trouble is we are only beginning to understand the function of a tiny percentage of the proteins in the body. When it comes to modifying transcription, rather like an enigma machine, the possible number of combinations of downstream events is so huge that it's very difficult to know what you will actually achieve, and the odds are quite good that even if you achieve a benefit it won't be by the route you originally intended
Oh yes and the BMA and pharma companies will conspire to make the treatment unaffordable, of course
Hi Mary,
life and human life are fascinating
the brain & human mind even more so
Thoughts are clearly quantum events both physical and chemical
And storing memory or accessing memory too.
Some 'visible' damage to path ways is evident or observable, there is much more remains to be seen, and much remaining hidden still.
Mens Sana,
most discoveries are the result of standing on the shoulders of giants
The real perverse incentive of the US patents 'industry' is that even if something can be shown to be truly useful or revolutionary as a treatment or cure, profit and vested interests control the market
They'd rather hold out for the highest price make it available exclusively to those who can pay(and use the cost card) rather than make it publicly available at a nominal price.
Whether drugs or surgery including dentistry.
The same with surgery - we as a society are obsessed with value added for our skills or goods, and the Medical Profession is not exempt - and yet none of us like paying high prices for the services and goods of others, whether it be petrol at the pump or mexican maids.
Often the surgery or even cosmetic surgery does not match the promises in the glossy magazine. The drugs can often be just another attempt to re-use some previously 'failed' drug. They are just messing with (rehashing) the same old rubbish, nothing 'new'
But if you cannot see or make the distinction between providing treatment or surgery to humans or providing frozen dinners, mobile phones and plasma tv - then I can see where the real sickness be.
Will humans ever understand and know their brains completely?
lol Ortho,
will humans ever understand themselves, never mind their brains
It seems we'd like to think we know more about the universe and how it all came to be - yet we cannot explain where thoughts come from or go - or where memories are held, and lost memories lost.
I have memory loss and an inability to cope with real-time inter-personal communication which is verging on the debilitating.
What appear to be witty responses on the net take a while for me to compose, blogging is such a relief as it enables me to interract as I would really like to in real life. The ideas are always there, but the delivery system just isn't.
In fact I would love to have been a doctor - but no way, a man's just gotta know his limitations !
Hi electro kevin, true
The best thing about blogging
is that it enables us to read and re-read or visit comments.
Sometimes face to face or in a crowded room thoughts surface and dissipate or evaporate as soon as they are spoken - and sometimes they are misunderstood or misinterprted.
Text enables us to revisit these thoughts, though it still leaves plenty of room to be misinterpreted
Things that can mean one thing to a reader (in a particular context) may be interpreted by the writer or another reader in another sense.
Thanks for stopping by!
My pleasure Quasar 9 - I find this site stimulating.
I think there is a slight lag in that my brain formulates concepts much quicker than my body can react and this results in me appearing rather dim.
Not much of a cross to bear on the scale of things, but the issue of selective memory you mention on my blog is a problem in my case in that even basic essentials such as where the petrol garage is are lost unless I actually study where it is or travel the route many times. It sometimes feels like blindness.
I did quite well in the BBC IQ test (an honest 124), but I have to work very hard indeed to retain knowledge (I use mind-mapping, cognitive techniques etc). I'm resigned to treating it as a disability and have learned to go easy on myself about it. I used to be so angry with myself - at least that's not there anymore.
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