A new study in mice has demonstrated the influence of brain cholesterol in improving learning and mental sharpness, despite the natural effects of aging. Researchers showed that by increasing the cholesterol-binding membrane protein in brain cells, aged mice were able to combat memory loss.
The membrane protein called caveolin-1 (Cav-1) promotes the binding of cholesterol to neurons, critical for brain cell growth and cell signaling. Although previous research had shown such purpose of cholesterol in the brain, no research had proven yet if neuron growth indicates improved mental function or memory.
Thus, researchers at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) examined the therapeutic effects of Cav-1 proteins by injecting an amount of it directly to the brain of adult mice. Specifically, the protein solution was delivered to the hippocampus - a region located in the medial temporal lobe of the brain that is involved in the formation, organization and storing of contextual memories. Damage of this part may cause a person to lose his or her ability to form new memories, medically termed as anterograde amnesia.
After applying the treatment, researchers observed the mice and noticed that they did not move when placed in the same location where they once received an electric shock - suggesting an improved memory as they recalled such traumatic incident.
"Neuron-targeted overexpression of Cav-1 in the adult and aged hippocampus enhances functional MLRs with corresponding roles in cell signaling and protein trafficking," the authors write in their paper. "The resultant structural alterations in hippocampal neurons in vivo are associated with improvements in hippocampal dependent learning and memory. Our findings suggest Cav-1 as a novel therapeutic strategy in disorders involving impaired hippocampal function."
With these findings, researchers believe it would open to new possibilities, especially in finding treatments of age-related memory loss. They are currently testing such gene therapy in mice with Alzheimer's disease, and possibly in the near future, to other diseases that involve other parts of the central nervous system.
"We're very interested in studying whether we can manipulate Cav-1 in other areas of the brain," says co-first author Chitra Mandyam, associate professor at TSRI, in a press release.
The study appears in the journal Biological Psychiatry.
