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Humpty Dumpty sat on
a...
Memory plays tricks: new research
sheds light on how
News Canada
 A
recent discovery by Canadian researcher Jean-Claude
Lacaille and a multinational team is shedding new
light on the role of genetics in memory, and may
eventually result in help for everyone from people
with Alzheimer's to students cramming for an exam.
It's
a familiar paradox: people remember nursery rhymes
learned decades ago, but forget something they read
earlier in the day.
According to Lacaille, who holds the Canada Research
Chair in Cellular and Molecular Neurophysiology at
the Université de Montréal, the protein GCN2 is at
the root of both phenomena, and understanding its
role is a major breakthrough.
"We
already knew that in normal conditions-when we're
not memorizing anything-GCN2 helps block the genes
that allow memorization," he explained. "What we
didn't know is that, when the learning process is
launched, GCN2 is deactivated. When that happens, it
gives the genes free rein to create the connections
that allow long-term memorizing."
But
memory is a complex thing. Experiments with mice
genetically modified to lack GCN2 revealed that they
memorized better only in non-intensive situations:
given one chance a day over several days to learn a
maze, they learned faster than normal mice. But,
surprisingly, when they were given several tries in
the same day, they fared worse. Intensive
memorization, in other words, triggered a
"saturation" mechanism in the GCN2-free mice.
"It
never occurred to us that GCN2 deactivation could
inhibit the storage of new information in long-term
memory," recalled Lacaille, "but that is exactly
what happens."
The
discovery, he says, offers considerable potential.
Since Alzheimer's disease affects protein synthesis
and memory, the new knowledge might lead to new
drugs to counteract it.
It
might also pave the way for research to improve
memory in people without the illness-an outcome many
students would no doubt love to see, come exam time.
To
learn more about the Canada Research Chairs Program,
visit
www.chairs.gc.ca.
News
Canada
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