Long-term memories are stored in the neocortex. Image: Shutterstock
Memories can be enhanced or erased by manipulating the activity of PKMzeta. . PKMzeta is a brain enzyme that controls the flow of information between brain cells. According to researchers supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (US), learning how to use this mechanism might help manage memories in anxiety and aging disorders.
“One explanation on the memory enhancement is that PKMzeta might go to some synapses, or connections between brain cells, and not others. Overexpressed PKMzeta may be selectively captured by molecular tags that mark just those brain connections where it’s needed ““likely synapses that were holding the memory for training,” explained Yadin Dudai Sacktor, of the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, on the press release. Although still at an early stage, this discovery might have potential uses to treat dementia and/or Alzheimer.
