A research team found that increasing the level of a certain DNA-modified enzyme in the brain significantly improves cognitive ability. In mouse experiments, the Dnmt3a2 protein can boost memory capacity in the animals.
Because this protein also affects fear memory and the ability to erase bad memories, the researchers hope these findings can be used to develop new treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder and other forms of anxiety.
Previous study showed that there are lower levels of Dnmt3a2 protein in the brains of elderly mice. When the older mice were infected by viruses that produce Dnmt3a2 protein, their memory performance improved. Additionally, increasing the level of Dnmt3a2 in the brains of younger mice also boosts their cognitive ability. In many different long-term memory experiments, including classic Pavlovian conditioning, the researchers were able to reveal that mice with more Dnmt3a2 performed considerably better.
Dnmt3a2 is an epigenetic regulator that chemically modifies the DNA. It can change the production rates of specific proteins. The activation of gene transcription and the subsequent synthesis of new proteins not only play a key role in memory consolidation but also in memory erasure.
Using similar methods as in confrontational therapy in patients, the researchers carried out "erasure" experiments. The therapy is used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and aims to interrupt or even completely erase disturbing associations. They discovered that mice with a higher Dnmt3a2 level in the brain were able to erase the association between a specific place and a painful stimulus with far greater efficiency.
The resluts of the study are valuable to the treatment of cognitive impairment, including developing new treatments for senile dementia, neurodegenerative diseases and anxiety disorders. New medications that increase the production or activity of the enzyme could be combined with confrontational therapy.
However, we should pay more attention to the findings since they open the door for possible misuse in healthy individuals to improve their mental processes and intellectual capability.
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