Getting to the bottom of memory

Researchers investigate the molecular basis of memory in living mice. The study identified a molecule that is crucially involved in learning and singled out the signaling pathway through which it affects memory. Our sense organs inform our brain about what happens around us and brain cells communicate this information between each other using electrical signals. These signals become stronger the more often a cell experiences the same stimulus, allowing it to distinguish familiar information from news. In other words, a cell remembers an event as an unusually strong and long-lasting signal. This phenomenon called long-term potentiation [LTP] is thought to underpin learning and memory and its molecular basis is being investigated intensively.