Why is it difficult to remember your childhood memories? New research suggests that neurogenesis or the production of new neurons may play an important role in this "infantile amnesia." There are many kinds, including humans. Neurons are constantly being produced in the hippocampus of the brain to form new memories, so the researchers hope to understand whether this continuous integration of new neurons rearranges the connections of the brain, thereby shaking the old connections.
Remember to cause forgetfulness. Catherine Acres and colleagues have shown that this phenomenon can occur in mice, guinea pigs and even small rodents called "octapods." The researchers used light electric shocks to train a group of mice to fear specific environments. Rotations have been shown to naturally increase the level of neurogenesis, so they can allow some of the mice to touch the steering wheel. When Acres and his colleagues later put these mice back in an environment that was trained to create fear, those with running experience almost forgot their fears and had nothing to do with fear.
mice seem to be able to recall the most recent electric shock well. The researchers then used drugs to reduce neurogenesis in infant mice, which usually have higher levels of neuron production than adult mice, and these mice may be faster than them. To understanding. Corresponding infant mice without drugs retained better memory. Akers and colleagues finally tested the effects of neurogenesis on amnesia in guinea pigs and 8-dented mice. These animals have mature neurons at birth and less neurogenesis in infancy.
They found that baby guinea pigs and octagons did not forget their fears as quickly as baby mice, but when the researchers injected two other animals with a neurogenesis drug, these rodent species also began to forget their fears. . These results indicate the basic mechanism of infant memory loss, and Lucas Mongiat and Alejandro Schinder's "Opinion Column" article explains these findings in more detail.