Re: [Body Hacking] Photographic memory in a pill?
Bryan Bishop
> "Wish you had a photographic memory? Well, Encyclopedia Brown, drugs may
> amp your brain up to that point soon. A group of Spanish scientists
> claim to have singled out a protein that can extend the life of visual
> memory significantly. When the production of the protein was boosted in
> mice, the rodents' visual memory retention increased, from about an hour
> to almost 2 months."
>
> http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-07/memory-problems-new-drug-could-give-you-photographic-memory
"""
Coming Soon: Photographic Memory in a Pill?
Scientists isolate a protein that significantly increases visual recall
By Dan Smith Posted 07.06.2009 at 2:28 pm 11 Comments
Wish you had a photographic memory? Well, Encyclopedia Brown, drugs
may amp your brain up to that point soon. A group of Spanish
scientists claim to have singled out a protein that can extend the
life of visual memory significantly. When the production of the
protein was boosted in mice, the rodents' visual memory retention
increased, from about an hour to almost 2 months.
Unlike the long-term memory creation that was imaged recently, this
memory extension only applies to memories made through the
poorly-understood visual cortex of the brain. The scientists first
removed from mice the portion of the brain believed to be associated
with visual memories--layer six of the V2 region--and showed that the
mice could no longer remember any object they saw. They then increased
the production of a group of proteins--RGS-14--created in that cortex.
The mice's retention of visual images was increased almost 1,500
times.
Imagine the implications of an over-the-counter memory enhancer this
powerful. There’ll be no need to cram for tests the night before; you
can do it months before. No need to ask for directions again -- just
review the map before your trip and every turn is committed to your
powerful memory. Games of memory would become obsolete. And regular
schlubs like me can claim to be in the same league as historically
famous photographic memorizers as Mozart, Nikolai Tesla, and Desi
Arnaz.
"""
found via io9
http://io9.com/5306489/a-drug-that-could-give-you-perfect-visual-memory
On to the goods:
Role of Layer 6 of V2 Visual Cortex in Object-Recognition Memory
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/325/5936/87
"Cellular responses in the V2 secondary visual cortex to simple as
well as complex visual stimuli have been well studied. However, the
role of area V2 in visual memory remains unexplored. We found that
layer 6 neurons of V2 are crucial for the processing of
object-recognition memory (ORM). Using the protein regulator of G
protein signaling–14 (RGS-14) as a tool, we found that the expression
of this protein into layer 6 neurons of rat-brain area V2 promoted the
conversion of a normal short-term ORM that normally lasts for 45
minutes into long-term memory detectable even after many months.
Furthermore, elimination of the same-layer neurons by means of
injection of a selective cytotoxin resulted in the complete loss of
normal as well as protein-mediated enhanced ORM. "
RGS-14 (on human chromosome 5):
http://www.genecards.org/cgi-bin/carddisp.pl?gene=RGS14
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=gene&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=10636
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RGS14
"""
This gene encodes a member of the regulator of G-protein signaling
family. This protein contains one RGS domain, two Raf-like Ras-binding
domains (RBDs), and one GoLoco domain. The protein attenuates the
signaling activity of G-proteins by binding, through its GoLoco
domain, to specific types of activated, GTP-bound G alpha subunits.
Acting as a GTPase activating protein (GAP), the protein increases the
rate of conversion of the GTP to GDP. This hydrolysis allows the G
alpha subunits to bind G beta/gamma subunit heterodimers, forming
inactive G-protein heterotrimers, thereby terminating the signal.
Alternate transcriptional splice variants of this gene have been
observed but have not been thoroughly characterized.[1]
"""
This reference is an odd one:
Martin-McCaffrey L, Willard FS, Pajak A, et al. (2006). "RGS14 is a
microtubule-associated protein.". Cell Cycle 4 (7): 953–60. PMID
15917656.
Here's the BLAST sequence:
>O43566-1
MPGKPKHLGVPNGRMVLAVSDGELSSTTGPQGQGEGRGSSLSIHSLPSGPSSPFPTEEQP
VASWALSFERLLQDPLGLAYFTEFLKKEFSAENVTFWKACERFQQIPASDTQQLAQEARN
IYQEFLSSQALSPVNIDRQAWLGEEVLAEPRPDMFRAQQLQIFNLMKFDSYARFVKSPLY
RECLLAEAEGRPLREPGSSRLGSPDATRKKPKLKPGKSLPLGVEELGQLPPVEGPGGRPL
RKSFRRELGGTANAALRRESQGSLNSSASLDLGFLAFVSSKSESHRKSLGSTEGESESRP
GKYCCVYLPDGTASLALARPGLTIRDMLAGICEKRGLSLPDIKVYLVGNEQKALVLDQDC
TVLADQEVRLENRITFELELTALERVVRISAKPTKRLQEALQPILEKHGLSPLEVVLHRP
GEKQPLDLGKLVSSVAAQRLVLDTLPGVKISKARDKSPCRSQGCPPRTQDKATHPPPASP
SSLVKVPSSATGKRQTCDIEGLVELLNRVQSSGAHDQRGLLRKEDLVLPEFLQLPAQGPA
PRRPTTDQISSPAHRGILELHHRLSPLTATQQSRTAAWHPAGRACHGSALHALSVP
Now how about delivery mechanisms other than cutting into the skull?
pH-release capsules, maybe? Any ideas?
Bryan Bishop
> Did you put this email together, it's got great info in it, in a great
> format (even has a AA seq at teh bottom)
Yep.
> I didn't seem to see what drug they used to induce more protein formation
> though...
Gene knockout mice, IIRC. Also in one case they did an incision and
removed some tissue from the visual cortex.
Bryan Bishop
> "Now how about delivery mechanisms other than cutting into the skull?
> pH-release capsules, maybe? Any ideas?"
>
> the only option. Purified proteins won't cross the blood-brain
> barrier, and even if they did, they wouldn't get taken into the target
> cells where they'd need to be.
I am a big fan of viral gene therapy. I like the idea and want to
implement the tools to make it happen, too. But there are many other
ways to get things into the brain. There are multi-billion dollar
pharmaceutical industries currently built around the idea of these
delivery mechanisms for getting drugs past the blood-brain barrier.