Brain Scientists Figure Out How a Protein Crucial To Learning And Memory Works

A critical stage in the cellular process of learning has been discovered by researchers from John Hopkins University School of Medicine. Previously, the full understanding of how brains learn and form memory cells has been limited to the knowledge that a rush of calcium ions flow into the synapse area; however, further details have eluded modern science. The study, published in the journal Neuron, details how researchers chemically enhanced lab-grown neurons to form stronger, more visible bonds. This revealed how the process functioned following the calcium rush. A protein known as SynGAP was found concentrated on dendritic spines which form synapses with other cells, which was then flooded out of the spines during the synapse-binding process — limiting development of the connections. Mutations in the gene for SynGAP have been associated with intellectual disability and autism, implying that malfunctions in this process lead to structural issues which manifest in well-known neurological problems. “This gives us a much clearer idea of how some SynGAP mutations cause problems in the brain,” said the author of the study. Future research may lead to medical treatments which prevent or treat abnormal development using this understanding of how memory cells are directly formed.  To learn more about this study, click here.