X-Message-Number: 24082
From: "Basie" <>
Subject: Scientists uncover how the brain retrieves and stores older memories 
Date: Sun, 9 May 2004 20:01:09 -0400

Scientists uncover how the brain retrieves and stores older memories
TORONTO - Scientists at The Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids) and UCLA
have pinpointed for the first time a region of the brain responsible for
storing and retrieving distant memories. This research is reported in the
May 7, 2004 issue of the journal Science.

"It was previously known that the hippocampus processes recent memory, but
that the hippocampus did not store memories permanently. We were able to
determine that it is the anterior cingulate cortex where older, or lifelong,
memories are stored and recalled," said Dr. Paul Frankland, the study's
co-lead author, a scientist in the Sick Kids Research Institute, and
assistant professor of physiology at the University of Toronto.

The formation of new memories is thought to involve the strengthening of
synaptic connections between groups of neurons. Remembering involves the
reactivation of the same group, or network, of neurons. As memories age, the
networks gradually change. Initially, memories for everyday life events
appear to depend on networks in the region of the brain called the
hippocampus. However, over time, these memories become increasingly
dependent upon networks in the region of the brain called the cortex.

"We believe there is active interaction between the hippocampus and cortex,
and that the transfer process of memories between these two regions in the
brain occurs over several weeks, and likely during sleep," added Dr.
Frankland, holder of the Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neurobiology.

The researchers used a series of strategies with mice, including a mouse
model with an altered form of a gene called CaMkinase II, which eliminates
the ability to recall old memories, to identify the role of the anterior
cingulate cortex.

"Most people define memory as their collective lifetime experiences. These
memories colour who we are, yet until now, we've been mystified by how the
brain saves and retrieves them," said Dr. Alcino Sliva, the study's
principal investigator and professor of neurobiology, psychiatry and
psychology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "Now that we know
where to look, we're one step closer to developing drugs to target genes or
processes of the brain that may be related to memory disorders."

Other authors on the paper include Dr. Bruno Bontempi, co-lead author, Dr.
Lynn Talton, and Dr. Leszek Kaczmarek. The US National Institute on Aging
funded the study.

The Hospital for Sick Children, affiliated with the University of Toronto,
is Canada's most research-intensive hospital and the largest centre
dedicated to improving children's health in the country. Its mission is to
provide the best in family-centred, compassionate care, to lead in
scientific and clinical advancement, and to prepare the next generation of
leaders in child health. For more information, please visit www.sickkids.ca.

For more information, please contact:

Laura Greer, Public Affairs
The Hospital for Sick Children
(416) 813-5046


Chelsea Gay, Public Affairs
The Hospital for Sick Children
(416) 813-7654 ext. 1042


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