Neuroscientists Discover a Critical Early Step of Memory Formation
Monday, September 15, 2008 - 08:21
in Biology & Nature
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine report in the July issue of Neuron how nerve cells in the brain ensure that Arc, a protein critical for memory formation, is made instantly after nerve stimulation. Paradoxically, its manufacture involves two other proteins -- including one linked to mental retardation -- that typically prevent proteins from being made.