early life tagged posts

Molecular switch links early life stimulation to lasting memory changes

Researchers identify the molecular mechanisms linking early-life environments with memory
Mice raised in enriched environments show improved learning and memory driven by sustained activation of the transcription factor AP-1, the molecular ‘switch’ that converts early-life experiences into lasting changes in the brain. Credit: Instituto de Neurociencias UMH-CSIC

Researchers have identified a molecular mechanism that helps explain why growing up in a stimulating environment enhances memory. In contrast, a lack of stimulation can impair it. The team from the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), a joint research center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH), was led by researcher Ángel Barco.

Their study, conducted in mice and published in Nature Communications, demonstrates that the environment during childhood and ado...

Read More