Memory-making involves extensive DNA breaking

Recommendable!

"The urgency to remember a dangerous experience requires the brain to make a series of potentially dangerous moves: Neurons and other brain cells snap open their DNA in numerous locations — more than previously realized, according to a new study — to provide quick access to genetic instructions for the mechanisms of memory storage. ...

The extent of these DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in multiple key brain regions is surprising and concerning ..., because while the breaks are routinely repaired, that process may become more flawed and fragile with age. Tsai’s lab has shown that lingering DSBs are associated with neurodegeneration and cognitive decline and that repair mechanisms can falter. ...
The creation of a fear memory doubled the number of DSBs among neurons in the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, affecting more than 300 genes in each region. Among 206 affected genes common to both regions ..."

Memory-making involves extensive DNA breaking | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology To quickly express learning and memory genes, brain cells snap both strands of DNA in many more places and cell types than previously realized, a new study shows.

Activity-Induced DNA Breaks Govern the Expression of Neuronal Early-Response Genes (open access)