Neuroscience
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In this review we explore the role of the perirhinal cortex (Prh) in memory, focusing on the cellular and molecular mechanisms that have been described to happen in this structure. The Prh is part of the medial temporal lobe, but the evidences show that it has a different function than that of the hippocampus. ⋯ We discuss a series of studies of memory and plasticity in this region and how they might relate. In addition, we propose that Prh could play a role as a "pattern separator" for object memories, similar to the function of the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus in the spatial domain.
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Brain plasticity is the ability of the nervous system to change structurally and functionally in response to experience. By shaping brain structure and function, experience leads to the creation of a protective reserve that accounts for differences among individuals in susceptibility to age-related brain modifications and pathology. This review is aimed to address the biological bases of the experience-dependent "brain reserve" by describing the results of animal studies that focused on the neuroanatomical and molecular effects of environmental enrichment. ⋯ On the whole, studies of the structural and molecular effects of environmental enrichment strongly support the neuroprotective action of a particularly stimulating lifestyle on cognitive functions. Our current level of understanding of these effects and mechanisms is such that additional and novel studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses are necessary to investigate the specific effects of the different components of environmental enrichment in both healthy and pathological models. Only in this way can comprehensive recommendations for proper life habits be developed.
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Under certain conditions pavlovian memories undergo reconsolidation, whereby the reactivated memory can be disrupted by manipulations such as knockdown of zif268. For instrumental memories, reconsolidation disruption is less well established. Our previous, preliminary data identified that there was an increase in Zif268 in the posterior dorsolateral striatum (pDLS) after expression of an instrumental habit-like 'response' memory, but not an instrumental goal-directed 'place' memory on a T-maze task. ⋯ Zif268 expression increased in the basolateral amygdala after memory reactivation whether a response or place strategy was used during reactivation. We propose that Zif268 expression in the basolateral amygdala may be linked to prediction error, generated by the absence of reward at reactivation. Taken together, these results suggest a complex role for Zif268 in the maintenance of instrumental memories.
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Neuroimaging epigenetics is an interdisciplinary application of epigenetics to cognitive neuroscience that seeks to identify molecular and neural predictors of human behavior. This approach can be sensitive to the dynamic interaction between biological predisposition and environmental influences, and is potentially more informative than an approach using static genetic code. Recent work in this field has generated considerable enthusiasm, yet caution is warranted since any novel cross-disciplinary approach lacks a set of established conventions or standards. In this paper we review existing research in the field of imaging epigenetics, outline important caveats and considerations, and suggest a set of guidelines for researchers conducting this work.
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The biomarkers may be useful for predictive diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The current challenge is to diagnose it in its preclinical phase. The combination of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers and imaging has been investigated extensively for a number of years. ⋯ In the first section, the results show the contribution of biomarkers to predict and track AD considered as classical biomarkers. In the second section, the results highlight the involvement of novel candidates that should be considered for future evaluation in the characterization of the AD progression. Reported findings open prospect to define noninvasive biomarkers to predict AD before symptoms onset.