Learning stimulates our brain cells.
Apparently, new ideas, lifelong learning, and creativity benefit us in many areas of our lives. Many scientific studies have suggested that these activities shape our neurons for the better. However, the specific molecular change that occurs in the brain had not yet been described.
Researchers from the University of British Columbia have just done so. In a new study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, they have identified an important molecular change that occurs in the brain when we learn and memorize. The research shows that learning stimulates our brain cells. In such a way that it causes a small fatty acid to bind to a brain protein, called delta-catenin. According to the study, this biochemical modification is essential in producing the changes in brain connectivity associated with learning.
In animal models, scientists found almost twice the amount of modified delta-catenin in the brain after they learned about new places. While this protein had already been linked in previous research to learning, this study is the first to describe its role in the molecular mechanism underlying memory formation processes, that is, it provides a better understanding of the tools our brain uses to learn and remember.
Neurological diseases.
The study also provides insight into how these processes are altered in neurological diseases. In this regard, it could provide an explanation for some mental disabilities, the researchers state. As researchers from the University of Los Angeles discovered in 2004, people who are born without the protein gene have a severe form of mental retardation. This is cri du chat syndrome, a rare genetic disorder named after the high-pitched cry. Similar to that of cats, which affected children emit. More interestingly, disruption of the delta-catenin gene in some studies has also been observed in some patients with schizophrenia.
According to the researchers, further research is required to determine the importance of delta-catenin. Regarding the construction of brain connectivity in learning and memory. Furthermore, it is also believed that disruptions of these nerve connections could be related to the onset of neurodegenerative diseases. Such as Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease. Understanding these biochemical processes is important for the proper maintenance of these connections. And could help resolve the abnormalities of nerve cells that occur in these disease states.
Sources: www.medciencia.com and University of British Columbia
