First Image of Memories Being Made
June 19, 2009 by Peggy Rowland
Filed under Women's Health
It’s almost unbelievable, but researchers have captured an image of a long-term memory being formed.
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The increase in green fluorescence represents the imaging of long-term memory formation.
The study findings provide insight into diseases involving memory impairment. It’s hoped that the ability to study memory formation in real time will allow for a more detailed understanding of how memories are formed.
Researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (The Neuro), McGill University and University of California, Los Angeles worked together on the project. The study was published in Science.
The imaging provides the first visual evidence that new proteins are made locally at the synapse when a new memory is formed. The proteins increase the strength of the synaptic connection and reinforce the memory.
What does this image look like to you?
(Image credit: Science)
