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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : October 28, 2014 3:00 PM IST
Scientists have revealed in an image study that dendrites in specific neurons called 'place cells' were critical in keeping memories and allowed some experiences to be remembered while others are forgotten. In the brain's hippocampus, there were hundreds of thousands of 'place cells'-neurons essential to the brain's GPS system. Daniel A. Dombeck and Mark E. J. Sheffield were the first to image the activity of individual dendrites in place cells.
Dombeck and Sheffield built their own laser scanning microscope that could image neurons on multiple planes. They then studied individual animals that navigated (on a trackball) a virtual reality maze constructed using the video game Quake II. They have seen that dendrites were not always activated when the cell body was activated in a neuron. Signals were produced in the dendrites (used to store information) and signals within the neuron cell body (used to compute and transmit information) could be either highly synchronized or desynchronized depending on how well the neurons remembered different features of the maze. (Read: Eat foods rich in antioxidants to boost your memory)
Their findings have contributed to our understanding of how the brain represented the world around it and also pointed to dendrites as a new potential target for therapeutics to combat memory deficits and debilitating diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the brain's hippocampus, there were hundreds of thousands of 'place cells'-neurons essential to the brain's GPS system. Dombeck and Sheffield were the first to image the activity of individual dendrites in place cells.
Neuroscientist John O'Keefe had discovered place cells in 1971 (and received this year's Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine). Scientists have long believed that the neuronal tasks of computing and storing information were connected-when neurons computed information, they were also storing it, and vice versa. The Northwestern study provided evidence against this classic view of neuronal function. The Northwestern study was published in the journal Nature. (Read: Eat baked, broiled fish to boost your memory)
With these food items you can boost your memory
Red wine and dark chocolate
An anti-ageing substance found in red wine and dark chocolates may enhance memory too. In a study involving overweight adults, those who took resveratrol ( a compound found in red wine and dark chocolate) supplements for six months had better short term recall than their counterparts who took a placebo. The people who took the supplement also had more connections among brain areas involved in memory. Those who received resveratrol supplements remembered more words on a list that they had seen 30 minutes previously than those who received the placebo. The research was reported in the Journal of Neuroscience.
Fish
An omega-3 fatty acid called DHA in fish boosts our memory and brainpower, says a study. Supplementing your diet with DHA, such as increasing fish intake or taking supplements, could prevent declining DHA levels in the brain as we age.
Fruits and vegetables
Foods rich in antioxidants such as fruits and vegetables are a good way to boost your memory. A team of researchers has found a formula of nutrients high in antioxidants and other natural components that can help boost the speed at which the brains of older adults processed information, thus improve cognitive health and preventing memory disorders. Read more about Boost your memory with these food items
With inputs from ANI
Photo source: Getty images
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