Scientists have long held that learning and memory formation are made possible by the strengthening and weakening of connections among brain cells, but until recently scientists didn't know how the process worked.
Using brain cells from mice, Johns Hopkins University researchers have discovered the key molecule necessary for certain cells to weaken their connections with others. When scientists replaced the molecule -- a protein called GluR2 -- with a modified form, they found the weakening process halted.
Lead researchers Richard Huganir and David Linden, both professors of neuroscience, hope to create a mouse that has only the modified form of GluR2 and test its motor learning abilities. Any deficiencies in the mouse's learning skills will serve as proof that the weakening of connections among cells plays an important role in the learning process.
