Gene mutation in mice could lead to memory improvement pill

Gene mutation in mice could lead way to memory improvement pill
By John von Radowitz
Published: 09 April 2007
Independent UK

A gene mutation in the brains of mice could help scientists develop the world's first memory pill.

Researchers found they could alter the long-term memory of mice by tampering with the gene. Blocking its activity boosted the animals' performance in a water maze, where they had to memorise the route to a hidden platform.

The scientists now hope to find molecules that target and inhibit the gene, which is also thought to exist in humans. Ultimately this could lead to a memory-enhancing pill.

One of the researchers, Dr Mauro Costa-Mattioli, from McGill University in Montreal, said: "The next step, which is inevitable, is to look for small molecules that mimic this memory-enhancing effect. If such a pill could be generated, it might provide a new method for treating people with memory-related diseases such as Alzheimer's.

"While a drug that worked in this way wouldn't cure the disease itself, it might rescue the symptoms of memory loss."

The gene makes a regulatory protein called eIF2a which normally keeps a check on memory. Mice genetically engineered to carry a defective version of the gene showed an improved talent for spatial learning.

In the water maze, the mice were trained to swim to a hidden platform. After several days, the mutant mice were able to find the platform significantly faster than normal mice.

"If a person were reading a page of a textbook, it might take several times to memorise it," said Dr Costa-Mattioli. "A human equivalent of these mice would get the information right away."

Treating the animals with a molecule that increased the activity of the gene led to poorer performance in the memory tests.

Memories are formed when the repeated activation of brain cells leads to a strengthening of neural connections, or synapses. The process is known as synaptic plasticity. Weak connections produce short-term memories and strong, stable connections long-term memories.

Different molecular machinery, conserved in a wide range of animals from sea slugs to rodents, is believed to underlie each type.

McGill University scientists earlier found the first genetic evidence that control over protein synthesis plays an important role in the production of lasting memories. The new findings were published in the journal Cell.