Our brains are the most vital when we are young, and during that time we learn the most. As we age, it becomes increasingly hard to learn something. When learning something, new connections are formed between brain cells. Therefore, it is hypothesized that no longer being able to properly form new connections is one of the underlying reasons behind the age-related learning impairment. A new study shows that it is actually the inability of breaking the brain bonds that may be causing this phenomenon.
Connections
Our brain cells, called neurons, are always busy with forming new connections and breaking those that are no longer necessary. There are billions of connections in our brain and this form of cooperation helps us achieve complex behaviour. Learning things means forming new connections, and forgetting things means abandoning existing relations between neurons. Scientists from the Georgia Regents University set out to uncover what happens when mice lose the ability to properly break brain connections, something which we know happens in elderly people.
NMDA
An experimental mouse strain was genetically modified by the scientists to mimic the properties of a certain brain receptor. By performing this modification, the mice had an altered version of the NMDA receptor, similar to what we find in our elderly. We know that the NMDA receptor accepts signals that are sent through the production of a brain chemical known as glutamate, and it plays a central role in learning and memory. Therefore it logically follows that modifying this structure in an experimental setting to mimic the situation in elderly is an interesting study setup.
Results
After the genetic modification, the researchers found that the mice were still able to form new connections between brain cells, but that the ability to shut down connections was impaired. Experiments showed that the modified mice were less able to harness their short-term memory, but also their long-term memory. The results show the importance of the NMDA receptor in maintaining learning and memory abilities, and this provides an explanation for the aforementioned decrease in the ability to learn and remember at old age. Perhaps this knowledge can help us find ways to improve our learning capacity.
Connections
Our brain cells, called neurons, are always busy with forming new connections and breaking those that are no longer necessary. There are billions of connections in our brain and this form of cooperation helps us achieve complex behaviour. Learning things means forming new connections, and forgetting things means abandoning existing relations between neurons. Scientists from the Georgia Regents University set out to uncover what happens when mice lose the ability to properly break brain connections, something which we know happens in elderly people.
NMDA
An experimental mouse strain was genetically modified by the scientists to mimic the properties of a certain brain receptor. By performing this modification, the mice had an altered version of the NMDA receptor, similar to what we find in our elderly. We know that the NMDA receptor accepts signals that are sent through the production of a brain chemical known as glutamate, and it plays a central role in learning and memory. Therefore it logically follows that modifying this structure in an experimental setting to mimic the situation in elderly is an interesting study setup.
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| The NMDA receptor. Glutamate binds to the receptor, and in turn other compounds can enter the cell, stimulating it. |
After the genetic modification, the researchers found that the mice were still able to form new connections between brain cells, but that the ability to shut down connections was impaired. Experiments showed that the modified mice were less able to harness their short-term memory, but also their long-term memory. The results show the importance of the NMDA receptor in maintaining learning and memory abilities, and this provides an explanation for the aforementioned decrease in the ability to learn and remember at old age. Perhaps this knowledge can help us find ways to improve our learning capacity.
When learning something, new connections are formed between brain cells. Therefore, it is hypothesized that no longer being able to properly form new connections is one of the underlying reasons behind the age-related learning impairment. A new study brain fuel plus review
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