2023-08-31 04:00:05
Our brain’s ability to recognize familiar faces, learn new skills and even forget what we ate the night before is amazing. This adaptability, called “brain plasticity”, remains a scientific mystery (A scientist is a person who devotes himself to the study of a science or sciences and who…). A recent discovery, however, reveals the surprising role of complex sugars in this process.
Complex sugar molecules control the formation of perineuronal nets (shown in green) that surround neurons to stabilize connections in the brain .
Credit: Linda Hsieh-Wilson’s lab
Linda Hsieh-Wilson, PhD and senior researcher at the California Institute of Technology (The word technology actually has two meanings 🙂 in California, explains that these sugars, called glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), regulate many proteins. In the brain, the most common GAG is chondroitin sulfate, which forms structures called “perineuronal nets”. These nets surround individual neurons and stabilize the synaptic connections between them.
The researchers found that sulfation motifs, or sulfate groups attached to sugar chains, can alter the function of GAGs. Hsieh-Wilson’s team looked at these patterns. They discovered that when they deleted a specific gene in mice (The term mouse is an ambiguous vernacular name which can designate, for French speakers, before…), defects formed in their perineuronal nets, affecting their memory (Generally speaking, memory is the storage of information. It is also recollection…) social.
These nets would play a role throughout our life (Life is the name given :). The team also discovered that they might be manipulated during adolescence or adulthood to strengthen certain synaptic connections.
Research continues. The team hopes to understand how GAGs and their sulfation patterns might promote axon regeneration, an ability of neurons to rebuild following injury. These discoveries might pave the way for new methods of treating central nervous system lesions, neurodegenerative diseases or psychiatric disorders.
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#discovery #crucial #role #sugars #memory #learning
