PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Gene limits learning and memory in mice

2010-09-18
(Press-News.org) Deleting a certain gene in mice can make them smarter by unlocking a mysterious region of the brain considered to be relatively inflexible, scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have found.

Mice with a disabled RGS14 gene are able to remember objects they'd explored and learn to navigate mazes better than regular mice, suggesting that RGS14's presence limits some forms of learning and memory.

The results were published online this week in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Since RGS14 appears to hold mice back mentally, John Hepler, PhD, professor of pharmacology at Emory University School of Medicine, says he and his colleagues have been jokingly calling it the "Homer Simpson gene."

RGS14 is primarily turned on in one particular part -- called CA2 -- of the hippocampus, a region of the brain known for decades to be involved in consolidating new learning and forming new memories. However, the CA2 region lies off the beaten path scientifically and it's not clear what its functions are, Hepler says.

RGS14, which is also found in humans, was identified more than a decade ago. Hepler and his colleagues have previously shown that the RGS14 protein can regulate several molecules involved in processing different types of signals in the brain that are known to be important for learning and memory. They believe RGS14 is a key control protein for these signals.

To probe RGS14's functions, Sarah Emerson Lee, a graduate student working with Hepler, characterized mice whose RGS14 genes were disabled using gene-targeting technology. In collaboration with Serena Dudek, PhD, at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, they examined how the CA2 region responded to electrical stimulation in the gene-altered mice.

Many researchers have examined how other parts of the hippocampus are involved in long-term potentiation, a strengthening of connections between neurons that can be seen after new memory formation or artificial stimulation in a culture dish. The CA2 region is distinct from other regions for being resistant to long-term potentiation, and neurons within CA2 are able to survive injury by seizures or stroke more than neurons in other parts of the hippocampus.

The researchers were surprised to find that, in mice with a disabled RGS14 gene, the CA2 region was now capable of "robust" long-term potentiation, meaning that in response to electrical stimulation, neurons there had stronger connections. On top of that, the ability of the gene-altered mice to recognize objects previously placed in their cages was enhanced, compared to normal mice. They also learned more quickly to navigate through a water maze to a hidden escape platform by remembering visual cues.

"A big question this research raises is why would we, or mice, have a gene that makes us less smart – a Homer Simpson gene?" Hepler says. "I believe that we are not really seeing the full picture. RGS14 may be a key control gene in a part of the brain that, when missing or disabled, knocks brain signals important for learning and memory out of balance."

The lack of RGS14 doesn't seem to hurt the altered mice, but it is still possible that they have their brain functions changed in a way that researchers have not yet been able to spot. Besides being resistant to injury by seizure, certain types of CA2 neurons are lost in schizophrenia, and loss of another gene turned on primarily in the CA2 region leads to altered social behaviors, Hepler notes.

"This suggests that these mice may not forget things as easily as other mice, or perhaps they have altered social behavior or sensitivity to seizures," he says. "But not necessarily."

Lee is investigating some of these possibilities now.

"The pipe dream is that maybe you could find a compound that inhibits RGS14 or shuts it down," he adds. "Then, perhaps, you could enhance cognition."

### At Emory, collaborators included Kerry Ressler, MD, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Yoland Smith, PhD, research professor of neurology (both at Yerkes National Primate Research Center), David Weinshenker, PhD, associate professor of human genetics and Yue Feng, PhD, associate professor of pharmacology, with additional contributions from J. David Sweatt, PhD, chair of neurobiology at University of Alabama, Birmingham.

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Reference:

S.E. Lee et al. RGS14 is a natural suppressor of both synaptic plasticity in CA2 neurons and hippocampal-based learning and memory. PNAS Early Edition (2010). http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/09/03/1005362107.abstract

The Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center of Emory University is an academic health science and service center focused on missions of teaching, research, health care and public service. Its components include the Emory University School of Medicine, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, and Rollins School of Public Health; Yerkes National Primate Research Center; Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University; and Emory Healthcare, the largest, most comprehensive health system in Georgia. Emory Healthcare includes: The Emory Clinic, Emory-Children's Center, Emory University Hospital, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Wesley Woods Center, and Emory University Orthopaedics & Spine Hospital. The Woodruff Health Sciences Center has a $2.5 billion budget, 17,600 employees, 2,500 full-time and 1,500 affiliated faculty, 4,700 students and trainees, and a $5.7 billion economic impact on metro Atlanta.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Research team assesses environmental impact of organic solar cells

2010-09-18
Solar energy could be a central alternative to petroleum-based energy production. However, current solar-cell technology often does not produce the same energy yield and is more expensive to mass-produce. In addition, information on the total effect of solar energy production on the environment is incomplete, experts say. To better understand the energy and environmental benefits and detriments of solar power, a research team from Rochester Institute of Technology has conducted one of the first life-cycle assessments of organic solar cells. The study found that the embodied ...

Researchers at SUNY Downstate find drug combination may treat traumatic brain injury

2010-09-18
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious public health problem in the United States. Recent data show that approximately 1.7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury annually. While the majority of TBIs are concussions or other mild forms, traumatic brain injuries contribute to a substantial number of deaths and cases of permanent disability. Currently, there are no drugs available to treat TBI: a variety of single drugs have failed clinical trials, suggesting a possible role for drug combinations. Testing this hypothesis in an animal model, researchers at SUNY ...

Mechanism behind demethylation pinpointed in APC gene mutants

2010-09-18
Salt Lake City, September 17, 2010—Colon cancer is the second most common cancer in the United States and causes more than 50,000 deaths each year. It has been known for some time that mutations in the APC gene occur in more than 85 percent of all sporadic colon cancers. Now researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah demonstrate in a study featured today in Cell the mechanism by which mutation of the APC gene affects a cellular process known as DNA methylation. DNA methylation is a chemical modification made to DNA that plays an important role in ...

Great Lakes water quality is focus of new $5 million grant

Great Lakes water quality is focus of new $5 million grant
2010-09-18
ANN ARBOR, Mich.---How could climate change and our response to it affect the Great Lakes' water quality? That's the primary question a team of 27 researchers from across the University of Michigan and collaborators at other institutions will answer with a new $5-million grant from the National Science Foundation. The researchers will focus on extreme weather events caused by climate change. The Great Lakes hold 84 percent of North America's surface fresh water, and their basin is home to 10 percent of the U.S. population. "The suspicion is that climate change will ...

Aussie Chef Releases New Pizza Cookbook With Exciting Variations on Familiar Recipes

2010-09-18
Calling all cooks! You may think you know all there is to know about making pizza and chicken parmigiana, but Aussie chef Mick Reade has written a new cookbook that will creatively challenge your preconceived ideas about these two dishes. The 2001 winner of Australia's Best Steak Cooker title has now published a cookbook full of mouth watering variations on chicken parmigiana and pizza Recipes. In his self published title, Pizzas and Parmas - The Possibilities Are Endless, Chef Reade shares some of the creative and unusual recipes he has used over the past 12 years as ...

Napma - National Martial Arts Business Association Helps Members Recover from Recession With New Business Seminar!

2010-09-18
NAPMA, the National Association of Professional Martial Artists, the business trade association for martial arts schools, martial arts school owners, and professional martial arts instructors is hosting the 2010 NAPMA "Extreme Success Academy", featuring top industry expert speakers, and the world renown business and entrepreneurial expert Mr. Brian Tracy! Some seminars, events, conferences and shows are a bit like Chinese food...you like it while you eat it, but you're hungry half an hour later, feeling deflated and unsatisfied. Members have been telling us for years, ...

Hasslein Books Announces Upcoming Planet of the Apes Encyclopedia

2010-09-18
If you've ever wished you could learn more about the Planet of the Apes mythos... if you've devoured the films and TV series, but have never read the comic books or novels that continued their story... if you're tantalized by time travel and titillated by trivia... if you think you know all there is to know about simian society... then Lexicon of the Planet of the Apes is meant for you. This staggeringly complete lexicon from Hasslein Books, written by Timeline of the Planet of the Apes author Rich Handley and designed by Paul C. Giachetti, will contain: * Nearly ...

Furnishing Commissioned by East Indian Royalty Headlines Austin Auction's Sept. 25-26 Multi-Estates Sale

2010-09-18
An extraordinary mahogany "Beau Brummel" dressing table fit for a princess has swept into the spotlight of Austin Auction's Sept. 25-26 Estate Auction. The circa-1930 triple-mirrored dressing table is of the highest-quality construction and is fitted with a key-lock safe and exquisite 30-piece Art Deco vanity set of sterling silver and cut glass. The well-marked table and its accessories were crafted by the premier London firm Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co. Ltd. Each hallmarked vanity accessory is finely enameled and adorned with an Islamic moon-and-star motif as ...

Ciena Healthcare Announces Opening of Cardiac Rehab Unit at its Hartford Nursing Community

2010-09-18
Ciena Healthcare Management, the largest privately owned manager and operator of skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities in Michigan, announces the opening of its new $1 million Cardiac Rehab Unit at the Hartford Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Detroit. The announcement was made by Ciena Healthcare President Mohammad Qazi. The Cardiac Rehab Unit, the first specialty unit in Detroit to focus exclusively on cardiac care, is housed on the newly renovated third floor of Ciena's Hartford community and consists of 12 beds and an exercise area, all within a 5,723 ...

Microsoft and Intel Representatives to Deliver Keynotes at Upcoming CTO Telecom Summit

2010-09-18
The CTO Telecom Summit team announced today that Microsoft and Intel will deliver keynote presentations at the upcoming technology event, to be held October 3-6, 2010 at the JW Marriott Camelback Inn, Scottsdale, Arizona. The CTO Telecom Summit is an opportunity for CTOs, CIOs and IT executives to network and participate in a strategically planned agenda. Attendees have the opportunity to attend think-tank sessions, vision panels, keynote presentations, and case studies that examine the most recent technology developments within the telecom industry. Harry Patz, VP, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

First-in-human trial shows promising results for DLL3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate SHR-4849 in relapsed small cell lung cancer

Ifinatamab deruxtecan demonstrates high response rate in previously treated extensive-stage small cell lung cancer: Phase 2 IDeate-Lung01 trial

Higher blood pressure in childhood linked to earlier death from heart disease in adulthood

AI helped older adults report accurate blood pressure readings at home

High blood pressure in childhood and premature cardiovascular disease mortality

Zidesamtinib shows durable responses in ROS1 TKI pre-treated NSCLC, including patients with CNS disease and ROS1 G2032R mutations

Crizotinib fails to improve disease-free survival in resected early-stage ALK+ NSCLC

Ivonescimab plus chemotherapy improves progression-free survival in patients with EGFR+ NSCLC following 3rd-generation EGFR-TKI therapy

FLAURA2 trial shows osimertinib plus chemotherapy improves overall survival in eGFR-mutated advanced NSCLC

Aumolertinib plus chemotherapy improves progression-free survival in NSCLC with EGFR and concomitant tumor suppressor genes: ACROSS 2 phase III study

New antibody-drug conjugate shows promising efficacy in EGFR-mutated NSCLC patients

Iza-Bren in combination with osimertinib shows 100% response rate in EGFR-mutated NSCLC, phase II study finds

COMPEL study shows continuing osimertinib treatment through progression with the addition of chemotherapy improves progression-free survival in EGFR-mutated NSCLC

CheckMate 77T: Nivolumab maintains quality of life and reduces symptom deterioration in resectable NSCLC

Study validates AI lung cancer risk model Sybil in predominantly Black population at urban safety-net hospital

New medication lowered hard-to-control high blood pressure in people with chronic kidney disease

Innovative oncolytic virus and immunotherapy combinations pave the way for advanced cancer treatment

New insights into energy metabolism and immune dynamics could transform head and neck cancer treatment

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Steven Heymsfield named LSU Boyd Professor – LSU’s highest faculty honor

Study prompts new theory of human-machine communication

New method calculates rate of gene expression to understand cell fate

Researchers quantify rate of essential evolutionary process in the ocean

Innovation Crossroads companies join forces, awarded U.S. Air Force contract

Using new blood biomarkers, USC researchers find Alzheimer’s disease trial eligibility differs among various populations

Pioneering advances in in vivo CAR T cell production

Natural medicines target tumor vascular microenvironment to inhibit cancer growth

Coral-inspired pill offers a new window into the hidden world of the gut

nTIDE September2025 Jobs Report: Employment for people with disabilities surpasses prior high

When getting a job makes you go hungry

Good vibrations could revolutionize assisted reproductive technology

[Press-News.org] Gene limits learning and memory in mice