A small protein fragment improves the ability to learn and retain spatial information in mice, according to a study published in the journal PLoS Biology by Spanish scientists from the Center for Molecular Biology “Severo Ochoa” (CSIC-Universidad Autónoma de Madrid).
The researchers based their work on synaptic plasticity, a phenomenon in which neural connections change as a result of previous activities and experiences. This mechanism implies that the exchange of information in the brain varies throughout life and, what is more interesting, it can be modified to facilitate memory.
“For approximately three decades, it has been known that synaptic connections between neurons are not static, but rather respond to neuronal activity by modifying their intensity,” explains José A. Esteban, one of the authors. “Thus, external stimuli can cause some synapses to become stronger, while others weaken.” The researchers used the FGL peptide, a protein fragment involved in cell communication. This molecule induces the formation of new neurotransmitter receptors in the hippocampus, an area of the brain in which processes related to learning and memory take place. By supplying FGL to laboratory rats, their ability to retain spatial information and learning was significantly increased.
The results reveal that synaptic plasticity mechanisms can be manipulated with drugs in a way that increases cognitive capacity, at least in laboratory animals. “This work guides us about possible avenues of therapeutic intervention for mental illnesses in which these mechanisms are defective,” stressed Shira Knafo, co-author of the study.
