The location of protein-destroying “machines” in nerve cells in the brain may play a key role in how memories are formed – a finding that may have implications for treating Alzheimer's disease. 

    Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine examined nerve cells in the hippocampus, a region of the brain associated with memory coding and storing. The synapses, or links between nerve cells, play an important part in memory as each nerve cell in the brain connects with at least a thousand others. 

    Using mice, scientists determined the strength of these connections, and then studied how protein degradation affects connection strength. Levels of proteins are controlled by cylindrical proteasomes that are located in all cells. 

    The research, published in Learning & Memory, is the first to show that the proteasomes in different parts of nerve cells play different roles in controlling synapse strength and, presumably, in memory. 

    “We hope to exploit this finding to manipulate memory and find ways to make it better,” said Ashok Hegde, who worked on the study.

    破壞蛋白質的“機器”在大腦神經元中的分布可能對記憶的形成有重要影響，這一發現對于治療老年癡呆癥 (Alzheimer's disease）可能會有所啟示。

    維克森林大學醫學院(Wake Forest University School of Medicine)的研究人員檢測了海馬體的神經元。海馬體是大腦里與記憶的編碼、儲存相關的區域。神經元間的神經鍵（即神經元之間的連接）對記憶影響很大，因為每個神經元至少與1000個其它神經元相連接。

    科學家對老鼠進行研究，確定了這些連接的強度，然后研究了蛋白質退化是如何影響連接強度的。蛋白質水平是由分布在所有細胞中的圓柱狀的蛋白酶體所控制的。

    發表在《學習與記憶》(Learning & Memory)雜志上的此項研究首次表明，分布在神經元不同位置的蛋白酶體在控制神經鍵強度以及記憶方面發揮不同作用。

    “我們希望利用這一發現來研究記憶問題，并且找到讓記憶變得更好的方法，”參與這項研究的阿肖克•赫德格(Ashok Hegde)表示。