Laser beams can be directed into the hippocampus, the area responsible for memory and learning, to stimulate neurons called “place cells,” according to pioneering research in mice.
Place cells that are activated when we enter a new environment and save that location in our memory.
By stimulating cells that do not correspond to our current environment, we can be “mentally teleported” to the place these cells are connected to in memory.
This is the first study to show that place cell activity is behind the brain’s ability to retrieve memory and navigate.
Neuroscientists from University College London (UCL) brought mice to a place and gave them a treat with sugar water.
The mice were then moved to a second location, and the scientists used laser beams to activate the place cells that stored their memory of the first location.
When their memory of the first location was reactivated, the mice were “mentally teleported” to the first location – trying to find the reward, believing they were in the first location rather than the second.
It is hoped that the results will help develop new therapies for people with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease who are characterized by memory problems.
Dr. Nick Robinson of UCL’s Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research and lead author of the study said, “These results provide direct causal evidence that mice use the information presented by place cell activity as a guide to behavior.
“In other words, place cells really tell the mouse where it is, and mice” actually listen to their place cells when making decisions. This provides new insights into how memories are stored in the brain, as well as new tools for manipulating those memories to influence behavior.
“Memory disorders – like dementia and Alzheimer’s – cause enormous costs to society. This work could ultimately lead to a better understanding of these diseases as well as new targets for therapeutic interventions. ”
Prof. Michael Hausser, also from the UCL Institute, added: “This study is a milestone as it shows that we can use optical reading and writing of activities in certain neurons to manipulate memories and thus better understand – and possibly to improve -. How neural circuit activity helps us make decisions. ”
The study was published in the journal Cell.
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