Brain Inflammation Dramatically Disrupts Memory Retrieval Networks

Brain inflammation can rapidly disrupt the ability to retrieve complex memories of similar but distinct experiences, according to a recent study in The Journal of Neuroscience. The report specifically identifies how cytokines impair communication among neurons in the hippocampus. The findings offer insight into why cognitive deficits occur in people undergoing chemotherapy and those with autoimmune or neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, since cytokines are elevated in the brain in each of these conditions, the work suggests potential therapeutic targets to alleviate memory problems in these patients. In the animal study, researchers found that increased cytokine levels in the hippocampus only affected complex discrimination memory, while a simpler form of memory processed by the hippocampus was not altered by brain inflammation. Their findings suggest that cytokines impaired recall by disrupting the function of these specific neuron circuits in the hippocampus. “Our research provides the first link among immune system activation, altered neural circuit function and impaired discrimination memory,” said John Guzowski, the James L. McGaugh Chair in the Neurobiology of Learning & Memory at University of California Irvine. To learn more about the study, click here.