New tool to modify memory developed

Scientists have developed a new tool to modify brain activity and memory in targeted ways without the help of any drugs or chemicals, an advance that may lead to new ways to fight diseases such as schizophrenia.

The GFE3 protein may help researchers map the brain’s connections and better understand how inhibitory synapses modulate brain function, according to associate professor Don B. Arnold from University of Southern California in the US.

It also may enable them to control neural activity and lead to advancements in research for diseases or conditions ranging from schizophrenia to cocaine addiction, he said.

The new tool is a protein that carries a death sentence for synaptic proteins in specific cells.

The protein can be encoded in animal genomes to effectively switch off their inhibitory synapses — connections between neurons — increasing their electrical activity, researchers said.

“GFE3 harnesses a little known and remarkable property of proteins within the brain,” said Arnold.

The protein takes advantage of an intrinsic process — the brain’s cycle of degrading and replacing proteins.