This molecule could be the key to unlocking super-memory in our brains

Want to be able to remember every single thing you see? Scientists have now found a molecule that appears to switch on total recall in the mouse brain, and it could be used to help treat people with neurodegenerative diseases.

Researchers from McGill University Health Centre in Canada have identified a molecule that seems to stop the brain from storing memories - and by suppressing it in mice, they’ve managed to unlock super-memory in the animals and improve neuro-functioning.

The molecule is FXR1P (or Fragile X Related Protein 1), a protein that belongs to a family of molecules that are involved in the brain forming new connections - the process that’s essential for memories being locked in.

Researchers already know that in order for memories to form, certain molecules need to be produced in the brain, and if that doesn’t happen, then we can’t remember an event.

But the new study is the first to suggest that FXR1P could actually be putting the brakes on the memory formation process.

“Our findings show that the brain has a key protein that limits the production of molecules necessary for memory formation. When this brake-protein is suppressed, the brain is able to store more information,” said Keith Murai, a neurologist and the lead researcher, in a press release. The results are published in an open access paper in Cell Reports.

favorite scenes from the dark knight trilogy: 

@ThatParamoreFan: what inspired the cape tonight