Sayak Banerjee, Amity University Kolkata
Researchers at Rockefeller University had found a gene having vitality for short-term memory despite being functional in that part of the brain which has no association with memory. Previous studies on short-term memory say that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) generally comprises of all the neural activity, but recent model studies demonstrate that a huge part is played by a G protein-coupled receptor, Gpr12, which is present in the thalamus.
On screening around 200 genetically diverse mice on a short-term memory task using the procedure of genetic mapping, they found a genetic locus from the chromosomal DNA that contributes to proportions of phenotypic variation. This region retains 26 genes linked to working memory, which on further genome-scale analysis is reduced to 4 genes of special notice. When each one of these was disabled individually, one specific gene encoded for Gpr12 protein, that is essentially needed for enhancing the working memory.
By increasing the amount of Gpr12 protein in the thalamus, the accuracy of both low-performing and high-performing mice in the memory task had improved. To know the neural circuits involved, the researchers noted the neurons firing in different parts of the brain while the mice executed the memory task, by fixing fluorescent calcium sensors in them which light up when a neuron is in action. They discovered thalamus-PFC synchrony during multiple stages of the task which required short-term memory.
Thus, the scientists stated that there is a high correlation between these two regions of the brain in case of high-performers only, which suggests directionality but the direction is yet unknown. This finding gives rise to unconventional outlooks to counter deficiencies in short-term memory therapeutically. Moreover, it adds a novel aspect in the significance of the orphan receptor as a potent modifier to supplement the classical models on the thalamus-centric framework for the better understanding of working memory.
Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092867420311521
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