03.14.07
DNA Methylation Involved in Memory Formation
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have published new research supporting their hypothesis that DNA methylation plays a role in forming memories (1). The link between methylation and memory formation came about from the observation that methylation was disregulated in people suffering from brain disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.
In their experiments, the researchers created fearful memories in rats by placing them in specific training chambers that gave them a mild shock. They could then test whether the rat remembered the shock by observing if the rat froze when placed in the same chamber.
The researchers used methylation inhibitors to discover that DNA methylation directly controlled the activity of genes known to either suppress or promote memory formation.
“To our knowledge, this study is the first to present evidence that DNA methylation, once thought to be a static process after cellular differentiation, is not only dynamically regulated in the adult nervous system but also plays an integral role in memory formation,” concluded Miller and Sweatt. They wrote that their findings indicate that DNA methylation has been co-opted by the central nervous system as a “crucial step” in regulating gene activity involved in memory formation.
The study is available in the March 15, 2007 edition of the journal Neuron. Link
References:
Miller CA and Sweatt JD. 2007. Covalent modification of DNA regulates memory formation. Neuron 53:857-869.
DOI 10.1016/j.neuron.2007.02.022.
Advertisement: Get 15 Complimentary Ringtones Now!
[...] Epigenetics News: DNA methylation involved in memory formation [...]