scholarly journals Neurotransmitters and neuromodulators involved in learning and memory

Author(s):  
Laxminarayana Kurady Bairy ◽  
Suresh Kumar

Learning and memory being highly specialized process of human brain involves complex interaction between neurotransmitters and cellular events. Over the years, the understandings of these processes have been evolving from psychological, neurophysiological, and pharmacological perspectives. The most widely appraised model of learning and memory involves attention, acquisition, storage and retrieval. Each of these events involve interplay of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, acetylcholine, norepinephrine, N-methyl-d-aspartic acid, gamma-aminobutyric acid, though preponderance of specific neurotransmitter have been documented. The formation of long-term memory involves cellular events with neuroplasticity. Further, dopamine is documented to play crucial role in the process of forgetting. Understanding of the processes of learning and memory not only facilitates drug discovery, but also helps to understand actions of several existing drugs. In addition, it would also help to enhance psychological interventions in children with learning disabilities. Thus, the review intends to summarize role of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators during different phases of learning and memory.

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard G. Schreurs

A rabbit model of Alzheimer’s disease based on feeding a cholesterol diet for eight weeks shows sixteen hallmarks of the disease including beta amyloid accumulation and learning and memory changes. Although we have shown that feeding 2% cholesterol and adding copper to the drinking water can retard learning, other studies have shown that feeding dietary cholesterol before learning can improve acquisition and feeding cholesterol after learning can degrade long-term memory. We explore the development of this model, the issues surrounding the role of copper, and the particular contributions of the late D. Larry Sparks.


Mind Shift ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 109-124
Author(s):  
John Parrington

This chapter addresses the process of learning and memory in the animal and human brain. Learning is central to the development of a child into an adult, but also to the progression of human culture over time. But the ability to learn is also bound up with the capacity to remember. Speculation about the nature of human memory stretches back at least 2,400 years to Plato's attempts to understand this process. However, the eighteenth century English philosopher David Hartley was the first to link memories to the nervous system. While changes to the synaptic structure of a neuron clearly play an important role in the initial formation of memories, there is increasing evidence that altered expression of genes underpins long-term memory formation. The chapter then considers the role of the hippocampus in memory. The dynamic interaction of the hippocampus and the cortex may be key to the ability of the brain to form new associations between people, places, and objects.


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamish Patel ◽  
Reza Zamani

Abstract Long-term memories are thought to be stored in neurones and synapses that undergo physical changes, such as long-term potentiation (LTP), and these changes can be maintained for long periods of time. A candidate enzyme for the maintenance of LTP is protein kinase M zeta (PKMζ), a constitutively active protein kinase C isoform that is elevated during LTP and long-term memory maintenance. This paper reviews the evidence and controversies surrounding the role of PKMζ in the maintenance of long-term memory. PKMζ maintains synaptic potentiation by preventing AMPA receptor endocytosis and promoting stabilisation of dendritic spine growth. Inhibition of PKMζ, with zeta-inhibitory peptide (ZIP), can reverse LTP and impair established long-term memories. However, a deficit of memory retrieval cannot be ruled out. Furthermore, ZIP, and in high enough doses the control peptide scrambled ZIP, was recently shown to be neurotoxic, which may explain some of the effects of ZIP on memory impairment. PKMζ knockout mice show normal learning and memory. However, this is likely due to compensation by protein-kinase C iota/lambda (PKCι/λ), which is normally responsible for induction of LTP. It is not clear how, or if, this compensatory mechanism is activated under normal conditions. Future research should utilise inducible PKMζ knockdown in adult rodents to investigate whether PKMζ maintains memory in specific parts of the brain, or if it represents a global memory maintenance molecule. These insights may inform future therapeutic targets for disorders of memory loss.


2001 ◽  
Vol 69 (11) ◽  
pp. 6676-6682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben G. Marshall ◽  
Arun Wangoo ◽  
Peadar O'Gaora ◽  
H. Terry Cook ◽  
Rory J. Shaw ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT With a view to exploring the role of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) during mycobacterial infection, recombinant clones of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) were engineered to express the natural antagonist of TGF-β, latency-activated peptide (LAP). Induction of TGF-β activity was reduced when macrophages were infected with BCG expressing the LAP construct (LAP-BCG). There was a significant reduction in the growth of LAP-BCG in comparison to that of control BCG following intravenous infection in a mouse model. The enhanced control of mycobacterial replication was associated with an increase in the production of gamma interferon by splenocytes challenged during the acute stage of infection but with a diminished recall response assessed after 13 weeks. Organ weight and hydroxyproline content, representing tissue pathology, were also lower in mice infected with LAP-BCG. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that TGF-β has a detrimental effect on mycobacterial immunity. While a reduction in TGF-β activity augments the initial response to BCG vaccination, early bacterial clearance may adversely affect the induction of a long-term memory response by LAP-BCG.


1992 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael M. Haglund ◽  
Mitchel S. Berger ◽  
Dennis D. Kunkel ◽  
JoAnn E. Franck ◽  
Saadi Ghatan ◽  
...  

✓ The role of specific neuronal populations in epileptic foci was studied by comparing epileptic and nonepileptic cortex removed from patients with low-grade gliomas. Epileptic and nearby (within 1 to 2 cm) nonepileptic temporal lobe neocortex was identified using electrocorticography. Cortical specimens taken from four patients identified as epileptic and nonepileptic were all void of tumor infiltration. Somatostatin- and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic)-immunoreactive neurons were identified and counted. Although there was no significant difference in the overall cell count, the authors found a significant decrease in both somatostatin- and GABAergic-immunoreactive neurons (74% and 51 %, respectively) in the epileptic cortex compared to that in nonepileptic cortex from the same patient. It is suggested that these findings demonstrate changes in neuronal subpopulations that may account for the onset and propagation of epileptiform activity in patients with low-grade gliomas.


Author(s):  
D G Baitubayev ◽  
M D Baitubayeva

The work shows the role of the vegetative nervous system (VNS) in the functioning of long-term memory, identity mechanisms of long-term memory in the human evolutionary adaptation and substance dependence. It is shown that, depending on the substance of the body are states like pro- gressive adaptation, that the bodycondition, depending on the chemical and psychogenic psychoactive- factors state of the same circle. It proposed the creation of a branch of medicine that combines study of the dependence of the organism, both on the chemical and psychoactive psychogenic factors. Given the classification of psychoactive factors.Onomastics formulated definitions of terminology changes and additions to be used in a new branch of medicine. Proposed allocation of the International Classifica- tion of diseases separate chapter for the classification of states like progressive adaptation of the body depending on psychoactive factors.


2005 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-101
Author(s):  
Q. Niu ◽  
P. Niu ◽  
Q. Zhang ◽  
L. Wang ◽  
S. He ◽  
...  

Aluminum exposure has been reported to be related to learning and memory impairment. This study examines the role of aluminum in alterating amino acids of the cerebral cortex of rats. The Step-down type tests were performed to investigate the alteration of learning and memory of rats induced by aluminum. The amino acids in the cerebral cortex were detected by high performance liquid chromatography (HLPC). Results show that the amounts of aluminum in the cerebral cortex increased by 5.0mgAl3+/(Kg·BW) group and 10.0mg Al3+/(Kg·BW) group. In the Step-down type test, the EN1 increased significantly in the Al3+ 10.0mg/(Kg·BW) group. The latency shortened obviously and the EN2 increased significantly in the 10.0mg Al3+/(Kg·BW) group. The content of Glu (Glutamic acid) increased but the content of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) decreased significantly in the 10.0mg Al3+/(Kg·BW) group. This present study shows evidence that the disorder of amino acid neurotransmitters system plays an important role in the impairment of learning and memory of rats induced by aluminum.


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