The research group of Professor Takuya Takahashi of Yokohama City University has succeeded for the first time in the world in developing a new technology that erases trauma memory by optical manipulation through joint research with the University of Tokyo and Osaka University.It is expected to contribute to the development of new treatments for controlling trauma.
When the brain is stimulated by the outside world, neurotransmitters released from nerve cells (presynaptic terminals) bind to receptors in other nerve cells (post-synaptic terminals) to transmit information.One of the neurotransmitters is glutamic acid, and one of its receptors is the AMPA receptor.Previous studies have shown that AMPA receptors migrate to the postsynaptic membrane (the cell membrane on the stimulated side) when the synapse changes (called a thermoplastic change) due to stimulation.It was also revealed that the formation of traumatic memory requires synaptic translocation of AMPA receptors that occur in the hippocampus, which is the memory center of the brain.
The research group used the "photomanipulated molecule inactivation (CALI)" technology, which inactivates the target protein by the active oxygen generated in response to light by a substance called a photosensitizer. ..Previous studies have shown that using eosin as a photosensitizer enables highly efficient CALI.This time, after injecting an antibody labeled with eosin into the hippocampus of a rat, traumatic memory was formed by "fear conditioning (IA task)" that gives an electric shock in a dark room.After that, the hippocampus was irradiated with light using an optical fiber, and the AMPA receptor that had translocated to the synapse was destroyed, thereby successfully erasing the traumatic memory.
This research is expected to be a clue to elucidate the mechanism of memory formation and to develop new therapies to control mental disorders such as social disorders caused by trauma such as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). ..
