The mammalian brain houses a complex network of structures that support memory, and a small region called the anterior thalamus is a critical part of this system. Damage to the mammillothalamic tract (MTT)—an important connection for this hub—can cause memory loss in patients suffering a stroke, which is currently considered irreversible. In their new study available in the journal Current Research in Neurobiology, published by Elsevier, researchers from the Universities of Canterbury and Otago, in New Zealand, and the University of Oxford, in the UK, now show that stimulation of the anterior thalamus increases memory-related brain activity and restores memory function in rats with MTT lesions. Their findings suggest that therapies involving targeted stimulation of the anterior thalamus could help with memory restoration in patients with brain injury.
Prof. John C. Dalrymple-Alford, a world-renowned expert in anterior thalamus research and the lead investigator of the study, explains: “The ultimate goal of many neuroscientists, including our team, is restoring ‘lost’ functions of the brain, one of which is memory. Memory loss can be caused by damage to one or more key points in a distributed memory system. Such damage occurs in several neurological conditions—acute brain injury, such as that caused by a stroke, and in dementia—and affects the quality of life of patients.
Read more at: https://www.technologynetworks.com/proteomics/news/targeted-stimulation-could-help-memory-restoration-after-brain-injury-suggests-rat-study-356202
