Study reveals breakthrough in understanding long-term memory recovery

There have been many famous duos throughout history: Sonny and Cher. Batman and Robin. Penn and Teller.

But an UNLV researcher worked with a lesser known couple – the hippocampus and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) – and discovered a new method allowing these two parts of the brain to work together to recover long-term memories.

After four years of extensive laboratory testing and data analysis, James Hyman, professor of psychology at UNLV, and graduate student Ryan Wirt, found that the CAC plays a more important role in the recovery of long-term memory than previously thought. Existing research has well established the process of consolidation – the transfer of seahorse memory dependence to ACC -, but we do not know what happens when a person remembers this. consolidated statement at a later date.

Hyman's research shows that brain waves between the CAC and the hippocampus are synchronized, with the ACC heavily influencing its counterpart when a memory is recalled after a period of about two weeks. In their study of long-term memory, their study shows that the hippocampus, which is active when memory arrives for the first time in the brain, becomes like Pinnochio's wooden toy and now needs it. ACC to operate its channels.

"This is a new mechanism for recovering memory and a significant advance in our understanding of how we remember the past," Hyman said. "It's very exciting, as it opens up new perspectives for understanding how our brain processes and accesses older memories, and could have implications for future studies."

The research was published this month in Cell reports and Hyman thinks that this could have future implications for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

According to Hyman, as patients transition from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease, losing the ability to remember their long-term memories was one of the characteristic symptoms.

"Our research opens new potential avenues to explore why certain dementias and disorders lead to long-term memory memorization problems, which could help pave the way for future treatments that can restore this capacity for people. affected, "he said.

The document "ACC theta improves contextual treatment of the hippocampus during a reminder remotely" appears in the May 21 issue of the journal Cell reports.