Shrestha Dutta, Amity university Kolkata
Working memory is imperative for a successful errand – the capacity to hold information in our minds lies at the core of almost everything we do. In a paper in Cell, the scientists present proof that working memory isn’t perfectly bound to one brain area, but requires the simultaneous activity of at least two. The discoveries challenge long-held presumptions that working memory is the activity of only one aspect of the brain and assist researchers to pinpoint to its genetic and mechanistic basis.
Researches during the 70s and 80s suggest that the neural underpinnings of working memory to the cerebrum’s prefrontal cortex. There, neurons seem to secure information by collectively firing for seconds to minutes, much longer than the millisecond standard of each neuron. In any case, this system alone doesn’t clarify the more sophisticated aspects of working memory.
The group of researchers examined how this gene, which also exists in other mammals and human, alter a mouse’s cerebrum and conduct. The gene encodes Gpr12, an “orphan receptor,” called so because it is not clear what molecule in the cerebrum activates it. Amazingly, the scientists found these receptors are not in the prefrontal cortex, but in neurons far away in the cerebrum’s thalamus. The recordings of the activity of the brain uncovered that these receptors help to build up synchronous action between the thalamus and the prefrontal cortex during working memory errands. This synchrony is the prerequisite to maintain a memory.
The discoveries expand the classical models by uncovering the crucial role of the dialogue between the prefrontal cortex and thalamus, recommending new ways for scientists to think about working memory.
Reference:
Kuangfu Hsiao, Chelsea Noble, Wendy Pitman, Nakul Yadav, Suraj Kumar, Gregory R. Keele, Andrea Terceros, Matt Kanke, Tara Conniff, Christopher Cheleuitte-Nieves, Ravi Tolwani, Praveen Sethupathy, Priyamvada Rajasethupathy. A Thalamic Orphan Receptor Drives Variability in Short-Term Memory. Cell, 2020; DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.09.011
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