X-Message-Number: 3820
From:  (Thomas Donaldson)
Subject: Re: CryoNet #3812 - #3815
Date: Wed, 8 Feb 1995 20:03:52 -0800 (PST)


To Dr. Strout:

Hi!

Because memory (among other things) is so important to cryonics, and because
a lot of work on memory has been going on, I will give some brief comments
here about your suggestion as I see it.

What seems to happen is that our memories pass through different stages of
consolidation. LTP is one of the earliest stages, and does not depend on
protein synthesis to occur. These different stages have been distinguished
both by giving inhibiting drugs and by otherwise preventing the test
animal's brain from functioning at different, measured times after the
learning experience. 

One interesting book on this specific area of neurology-neuroscience that
I personally have found useful (though now slowly growing out of date) is
Yadin Dudai's THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF MEMORY. 

I publish a bimonthly newsletter PERIASTRON discussing scientific issues
related to cryonics, and all the work on memory has caused PERIASTRON
to spend a great deal of attention to such work. It's not the kind of
thing I have at my fingertips, but I'd be happy to put together a large
bibliography on the subject for you if you are interested.

One advantage of using biochemical inhibitors of receptors, for instance,
is that we can stop one step in the sequence of memory consolidation 
without stopping others. This method has been increasingly used, though
it does need a knowledge of the particular transmitter chemical and/or
the particular receptor that may be involved. Global techniques such as
rapid cooling or others have the problem that they tend to stop
EVERYTHING.

I come up to the UCSF Medical Library from Half Moon Bay as part of my
work on this newsletter, and go through recent issues of relevant 
periodicals looking for information worth reporting. One journal which
I've found particularly good (it isn't just about memory, but there
are significant reviews of memory work in it) is TRENDS IN NEUROSCIENCES.
We may be able to get together for a meeting. My phone # is (415) 726-2251.
And in case you wonder, PERIASTRON is ME ... I do it all.

		Best and long long life,

			Thomas Donaldson

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