In your brain, right now, billions of molecules are working tirelessly to keep your most precious memories alive. For years, scientists have wondered how it was possible to preserve memory for decades, when brain proteins degrade within days. Now, thanks to a breakthrough discovery about the protein PKMzeta, we finally have the answer.
The Challenge of Lasting Memories
The research team, led by professor Todd C. Sacktor of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, has finally solved one of the greatest mysteries in neuroscience: How can memories last for years or decades when molecules in our brains are replaced every few days? The answer lies in a surprisingly elegant molecular interaction between two key proteins.
Neurons store information in the strength of their synapses, but the proteins that compose them are unstable and rapidly degrade. This apparent paradox has led scientists to search for the mechanism that allows memories to persist despite continuous molecular turnover.
I have always been interested in memory since I was a child. I had the feeling that there were always deeper and simpler levels of understanding for any mysterious process, and I was driven by curiosity to find the deepest for memory.
Todd C. Sacktor
PKMzeta and its molecular partner
The discovery revolves around two molecular protagonists: the enzyme PKMzeta and the protein KIBRA. When we learn something new, PKMzeta strengthens the synaptic connections between neurons. But to maintain these changes over time, it needs a stable partner: KIBRA, which functions as a sort of molecular “anchor”.
Professor Andre Fenton of New York University, another lead researcher on the study, explains that this persistent interaction between KIBRA and PKMzeta allows memories to last a lifetime, solving a puzzle that has fascinated humanity since the time of Plato.
The research, published on Science Advances (I link it to you here), used cutting-edge techniques to visualize these molecular interactions in the brains of laboratory mice.
Implications for the future
This discovery opens new avenues for understanding and potentially treating memory disorders. The researchers suggest that drugs targeting the KIBRA-PKMzeta interaction could help fight diseases such as Alzheimer's or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Professor Sacktor emphasizes that fundamental discoveries in biology often lead to unexpected therapeutic opportunities. We cannot yet predict which psychiatric or neurological diseases will benefit most from this understanding of the KIBRA-PKMzeta mechanism.
There is still a long way to go, but for the first time we have a fundamental biological understanding of how memory can last for years, perhaps decades. As Professor Fenton:
Memory is about the future.