Oct 7 : A team of researchers has discovered how to reverse the learning and memory problems inherent in the most common form of mental impairment.

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, identified how a mutated gene, linked to fragile X syndrome, blocks brain cells from locking new memories into lasting ones.

The gene, called fragile X mental retardation 1 (Fmr1), is turned off in people with fragile X syndrome. This genetic mutation disrupts cellular processes that are needed for memory formation.

Neurobiologist Julie Lauterborn and her colleagues found that by adding brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BNDF) proteins to the hippocampus region of fragile X syndrome test mice, memory-forming capacities of the brain cells were completely restored.

According to the researchers, the findings point towards the possibility of fragile X syndrome therapies that allow for increased learning and memory.

“While this discovery doesn’t identify a cure for fragile X syndrome, it provides the scientific foundation for methods to treat its learning and memory deficits,” Lauterborn said.

In their study, the researchers reported how the loss of a functional Fmr1 gene impaired a process called long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus region of the brain where memories are created and stored.

LTP describes a chemical process that literally strengthens a synapse. Synapses are the connection points between neurons where single cells are functionally coupled to other cells.

Fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited cause of mental impairment, according to the National Fragile X Foundation. The syndrome occurs in approximately one in 3,600 males and one in 4,000 to 6,000 females. It is caused by a change or mutation in a gene on the X chromosome.

The study is published in the Journal of Neuroscience. (ANI)