New insights into the memory functions of LEC
A team of researchers from Centre of Discovery Brain Sciences led by Prof Matthew Nolan, in collaboration with the University of St Andrews, have published new research in Cell Biology, on the memory functions of lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC)
The LEC is one of the first brain structures to show changes in Alzheimer’s disease, a neurodegenerative disease characterised by profound memory loss. One of the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s are deficits in in episodic memory, which is memory for the events that happen to us.
The new findings show that LEC contains sub-systems that have different memory functions. When the connection between a specific layer of LEC and the hippocampus is interrupted, episodic memory is affected while simpler forms of memory remain unaffected.
This research suggests a specific target for the development of treatments and strategies to prevent neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease.