All articles tagged with #hippocampus
A Science Signaling study shows acetate, a by-product of metabolism, enhances long-term memory in female mice by promoting histone acetylation and upregulating learning-related genes in the dorsal hippocampus; the effect is minimal in males and requires concurrent learning activity.
A Nature-published study from Northwestern and the University of Illinois Chicago finds that adults 80+ who are labeled 'super-agers' generate about twice as many immature hippocampal neurons as typical older adults, suggesting a genetic/molecular basis for preserved cognition and notable brain plasticity, though the small sample size and brain variability warrant cautious interpretation.
New Nature study finds that older adults with healthy cognition, including 'super agers', continue to produce immature neurons in the hippocampus at higher levels than those with cognitive decline, suggesting persistent neurogenesis may support memory; the neuron fraction is tiny (~0.01%), and the small sample sizes mean results should be interpreted cautiously; researchers hope to harness this process to develop therapies that boost neurogenesis in aging and Alzheimer's.
A Nature study finds that super-agers (80+) have roughly twice as many new neurons in the hippocampus as older adults with normal memory, and about 2.5 times more than people with Alzheimer’s, suggesting adult neurogenesis may help explain their exceptional memory and cognitive resilience.
A study of self-described “SuperAgers”—people over 80 with exceptional memory—shows they have more newly formed neurons and a hippocampal environment that supports neurogenesis, along with thicker attention-related brain regions and fewer tau tangles than typical aging. Using multiomic single-cell sequencing across donor brains, researchers found astrocytes and CA1 neurons drive memory retention, suggesting that a combination of genetics and brain-healthy lifestyle supports sustained cognition into advanced age.
The author argues that neuroscience, despite vast cross-species data, remains fragmented into species-specific frameworks, hindering the discovery of general brain principles. She calls for making cross-species dialogue a core organizational principle, using differences between species (such as how hippocampal theta appears across rodents and humans) to constrain and refine theory rather than treat them as anomalies. The piece also urges frameworks that link signals across scales, reforms in training and conferences, and funding and publication practices that reward cross-species theory testing rather than single-model optimization.
A UK Biobank study of 26,000+ adults aged 40–77 found lifetime cannabis use generally associates with larger volumes in CB1-rich brain regions (notably the hippocampus) and better cognitive performance, with the strongest benefits in moderate users; however, some regions showed different effects (posterior cingulate volume lower), and researchers caution that potency, usage patterns, and aging context matter, so this is not a clinical recommendation.
A preclinical study shows the hippocampus actively reorganizes memories to forecast rewards, with hippocampal neurons shifting their activity from the moment of reward to earlier task features as mice learn. Using long-term calcium imaging, researchers tracked cells over weeks, revealing a predictive, backward-shifting signal that refines the brain’s internal model of outcomes and offering a new lens on learning—and why decision-making falters early in Alzheimer's disease.
A large multicohort study of 3,737 cognitively healthy participants with 10,343 MRI scans and 13,460 memory assessments finds episodic memory declines with age are linked to broad brain tissue loss rather than a single region, with stronger effects after age 60 and more pronounced in APOE ε4 carriers; results imply aging-related cognitive decline shares mechanisms with neurodegenerative diseases and may require early, multi-area interventions across the brain.
A Bonn-led study finds that the human brain stores memory content and its context in separate neuron populations—content neurons fire for specific items, context neurons for the task or situation—whose coordinated interactions enable flexible recall through pattern completion.
Scientists have identified a gradient in the hippocampus that responds to familiar and new environments, which could help explain early signs of dementia like Alzheimer's, by revealing how the brain processes spatial novelty and familiarity during navigation.
A study from the University of Nottingham found that balanced neural inhibition in the hippocampus is essential for recognition memory, with both excessive and insufficient inhibition disrupting object recognition, while inhibition in the prefrontal cortex has no effect. These findings highlight the importance of neural balance for memory function and could inform treatments for cognitive disorders like schizophrenia and dementia.
A study reveals how synchronized signals between the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus stabilize memories during learning by balancing excitatory and inhibitory neural pathways, which may inform treatments for disorders like PTSD and schizophrenia.
Researchers have uncovered how the brain dynamically switches between memory recall and processing new information by modulating the balance between slow (theta) and fast (gamma) rhythms through distinct inhibitory circuits, a mechanism that could inform treatments for neurological conditions like Alzheimer's and epilepsy.
Scientists at UC San Francisco discovered that the protein FTL1 plays a central role in brain aging, particularly in the hippocampus. Increasing FTL1 levels in young mice mimics aging effects, while reducing it in old mice restores youthful brain connections and improves memory, suggesting potential therapies to reverse brain aging.