A New Understanding On How A Brain Creates Memories

Scientists have gained an understanding into changes that occurs at cellular and molecular level inside the brain while our brain is developing memories. The time when we make memories, a tiny filament in our brain comes out of one neuron and makes an electro chemical connection with a neighboring neuron. These filaments are known as Dendritic Spines. The researchers performed many experiments and have found that Asef2( A signalling protein) plays a major role in the formation of spine. This is worthy of attention as Asef2 has a link to the co-occurence of alcohol dependency & depression and also to autism.

Lead Researcher Donna Webb said, " Changes in Dendritic Spines have a connection with many neurological & developmental disorders, like autism, Down Syndrome & Alzheimer."

" The formation and the maintenance of spines are very complex process that we have just started to understand", Webb added . 

There are basically two main kinds of long fibres produced by neuron cell bodies that are made inside our brain : Dendrites and Axons. Axons sends electro-chemical signals which travels from the cell body of one neuron to the dendrites of another neuron. The connection between dendritic filament with one of the axons gives rise to the formation of a spine. Connections like this are responsible for the formation memory and its storage. Immature spines which are not connected correctly with axons to form synaptic junctions has the associations with autism. In the early stages of autism, reductions in spines are one of the problems that occur. So, by this research the scientists have found the explanation why people having Alzheimer have trouble forming new memories.

The scientists are finding the mechanisms behind the formation of spines, so that they can help people having Alzheimer giving them back the ability to form memories and remember all the things.