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Memories are made by breaking DNA — and fixing it

Nerve cells form long-term memories with the help of an inflammatory response, study in mice finds.
  1. Max Kozlov
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SEM (Scanning Electron Micrograph) of human brain cells showing an extensive network of interconnecting dendrites.

Neurons (shown here in a coloured scanning electron micrograph) mend broken DNA during memory formation. Credit: Ted Kinsman/Science Photo Library

When a long-term memory forms, some brain cells experience a rush of electrical activity so strong that it snaps their DNA. Then, an inflammatory response kicks in, repairing this damage and helping to cement the memory, a study in mice shows.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00930-y

Read the related News & Views: ‘Innate immunity in neurons makes memories persist’.

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 27 March 2024: An earlier version of this story indicated that broken DNA accumulated in the centrosome. It is DNA repair machinery that accumulates in that organelle.

References

  1. Jovasevic, V. et al. Nature 628, 145–153 (2024).

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  2. Stott, R. T., Kritsky, O. & Tsai, L.-H. PLoS ONE 16, e0249691 (2021).

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  3. Josselyn, S. A. & Tonegawa, S. Science 367, eaaw4325 (2020).

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