Associative memories are responsible for successful interactions with the environment. For associative learning and memories Neuroplastins are the key protein. The isoforms of Neuroplastin (Np55 and Np65) are coded by the single gene NPTN. The Neuroplastin is correlated with cortical thickness and intellectual abilities, also responsible for the person with schizophrenia. Np55 is found in various organs and cell types, whereas NP65 is brain-specific.
The researchers use neroplastin-deficient mice to study the dependence of Neuroplastin for the associative learning. The mice were trained to move from one end of the cage to other end under light (Associative Learning). After silencing the NPTN gene, the mice were not able to do their task perfectly, but the control mice were good at their task.
Retrograde amnesia of an associative learning task after induced ablation of the neuroplastin gene is remarkable. No other genes are reported yet for the retrograde amnesia. Amnesia is common to several psycopathologic disorders but the exact mechanisms are still unknown. The inducible neuroplastin-deficient mouse model clearly shows the neuronal protein as dispensable for recalling a previously learned associative task. The tomography imaging in awake mice, also shows the deficiency of neuroplastin causes the electropshyologic deficits.
Reference: Soumee Bhattacharya, Rodrigo Herrera-Molina, Victor Sabanov, Tariq Ahmed, Emilia Iscru, Franziska Stöber, Karin Richter, Klaus-Dieter Fischer, Frank Angenstein, Jürgen Goldschmidt, Philip W. Beesley, Detlef Balschun, Karl-Heinz Smalla, Eckart D. Gundelfinger, and Dirk Montag, "Genetically Induced Retrograde Amnesia of Associative Memories After Neuroplastin Ablation", Biological psychiatry.
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