Wednesday, May 25, 2022

A brain circuit in the thalamus helps us hold spatial working memory information in mind

Recommendable! Stopping or reversing the decline of working memory in older people!

"As people age, their working memory often declines, making it more difficult to perform everyday tasks. One key brain region linked to this type of memory is the anterior thalamus, which is primarily involved in spatial memory — memory of our surroundings and how to navigate them. ...
This region could offer a promising target for treatments that could help reverse memory loss in older people, without affecting other parts of the brain, the researchers say. ...
They found that the AD thalamus is involved in creating mental maps of physical spaces, while the AV thalamus helps the brain to distinguish these memories from other memories of similar spaces. ..."

"Anterior thalamus exhibits significant functional changes with increasing age. While it has been associated with cognitive functions, the specific circuitry relevant for working memory remains unknown. The significance of this study is threefold: First, the anteroventral subdivision of anterior thalamic nuclei is necessary for working memory maintenance; second, aged mice showed a decrease in the excitability of anteroventral thalamic neurons, which correlated with a working memory impairment; and third, activating anteroventral thalamic neurons in aged mice was sufficient to improve their working memory."

From the abstract:
"Alterations in the structure and functional connectivity of anterior thalamic nuclei (ATN) have been linked to reduced cognition during aging. ... Activation of AV neurons or the AV→PaS circuit in aged mice was sufficient to rescue their working memory performance. ... These results suggest that targeting AV thalamus in aging may not only be beneficial for cognitive functions but that this approach may have fewer unintended effects compared to direct PFC manipulations."

A brain circuit in the thalamus helps us hold information in mind | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology This circuit, which weakens with age, could offer a target to help prevent age-related decline in spatial memory.

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