The fruit fly helps with memory

Sciencedaily shared a journal’s article, ‘Frontiers in Neural Circuit’ about a new discovery using fruit flies to help in future therapies for memory and learning issues. The scientists at the University of Bristol studied the molecular changes in the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain that helps with learning. People make memories when calcium enters the brain cells and activates the enzyme Ca2+ responsive kinase to trigger a switch to keep it going until the calcium runs out. This whole process is known as Long Term Potentiation also referred to as the molecular memory switch. At first the big mystery was what triggers the chemical process in the brain to allow people to learn and make long term memories. The research team at the university executed experiments that temporarily disabled drosophila’s memory, and identified a gene, CASK, to be the synaptic molecule that regulated the memory switch

The team’s lead author mentioned that fruit flies were extremely compatible for the particular study because their neuronal functions and responses are similar to humans. The human CASK gene is 80% identical to the fruit flies’ same gene. The research team discovered that the drosophila’s memory formation was interrupted if they did not have the genes. Also, in humans mutations of this gene has been associated with learning difficulties. The finding of CASK’s ability provides a new way for therapies that reverse the effects of memory loss, and how the use of fruit flies’ still benefit in finding out more about diseases.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/258409.php