SAN DIEGO, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers have discovered neurogenesis -- the birth and growth of new neurons -- is essential for spatial memory to develop in mice.
The Salk Institute researchers said their findings might lead to the eventual development of drugs that improve memory in humans by stimulating neurogenesis.
"Our study directly establishes that neurogenesis plays an important role in a defined process, the acquisition and storage of spatial memory," said Professor Ronald Evans, who led the study. "This finding puts us in a new and important position to exploit the potential of stem cell-based therapies to improve brain function in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's that are accompanied by a loss of memory."
Evans and his research team, including first author Chun-Li Zhang, developed a mechanism for keeping neural stem cells in a proliferative state, leading to the birth of new neurons Without that mechanism in place, mice performed poorly in a test of analytical skills, learning and memory and the ability to form strategies.
In contrast, mice having proliferative neural stem cells demonstrated superior performance in the test.
The study appeared in the Jan. 31 online issue of the journal Nature.
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