This finding by neuroscientists at the Picower Center for Learning and Memory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is the first to make this connection.

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Tests on mutant mice
The researchers created mutant mice with abnormally structured synapses in the cortex but with normal synapses in the hippocampus, the area of the brain that turns information into memory. The mice were made to swim around a water maze, using visual clues to find their way to a hidden dry platform.

The mutant mice could learn the location of the platform, but couldn't remember where it was when they repeated the task a few weeks later. Normal mice had no problem remembering the location of the platform.

This showed that, while their short-term memory was fine, the mutant mice had impaired long-term memory storage.

Repositories for memory, knowledge, experience
The researchers say their study confirms what's long been suspected - that specific physical structures in the brain act as repositories for memory, knowledge and experience.

The finding may also help scientists better understand cognitive dysfunction and memory deficits in people who are mentally retarded. A number of the genes linked to mental retardation regulate the formation of synapses. – (HealthDayNews)

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