Researchers have identified a protein complex that plays a critical but previously unknown role in learning and memory formation.
Kirill Martemyanov, a TSRI associate professor who led the study, said this is a critical building block that regulates a fundamental process-memory.
He said that they know about this important new player, it offers a unique therapeutic window if they are able to find a way to enhance its function.
The team looked at RGS7 in the hippocampus, a small part of the brain that helps turn short-term memory in long-term memory.
The scientists found the RGS7 protein works in concert with another protein, R7BP, to regulate a key signaling cascade that is increasingly seen as a critical to cognitive development. The cascade involves the neurotransmitter GABA, which binds to the GABAb receptor and opens inhibitory channels known as GIRKs in the cell membrane. This process ultimately makes it more difficult for a nerve cell to fire.
Also Read
This process turned out to be critical to normal functioning, as the research showed mice lacking RGS7 exhibited deficits in learning and memory.
Targeting the RGS7 protein could allow for better therapeutic outcomes with fewer side effects because it allows for fine tuning of the signaling, according to Olga Ostrovskaya, the first author of the study and a member of Martemyanov's lab, who sees many ways to follow up on the findings.
The study has been published in the journal eLife.
