Monday, September 29, 2008

Scientists find why bad memories stay with us

Scientists find why bad memories stay with us
Glue that makes bad memories stick may help with Alzheimer's, study says

By Andrea Thompson

updated 2 hours, 25 minutes ago
Scientists may have found the glue that keeps fearful memories stuck in the brain, a discovery that could be useful in new treatments for Alzheimer's disease and post-traumatic stress disorder.

That glue seems to be a protein that is key to maintaining the structure of cells and also is essential to embryonic development, a new study suggests.

The protein, called beta-catenin, transmits early signals in species ranging from flies to frogs to mice that separate an embryo into front and back or top and bottom. It also acts like Velcro, fastening a cell's internal skeleton to proteins on its external membranes that in turn connect them to other cells.

Previous studies have found other factors that govern our feelings of fear:



One study found a 'fear factor' gene that controls how neurons fire in the brain when mice are faced with impending danger.
Another found that the brain can learn to fear something, such as a bee's sting, when we view someone else's fear.
Another recent study detailed how primates and other mammals learned to fear and avoid snakes.


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