{"id":121997,"date":"2025-11-07T00:34:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T00:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/121997\/"},"modified":"2025-11-07T00:34:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T00:34:11","slug":"crispr-targets-memory-loss-in-older-rats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/121997\/","title":{"rendered":"CRISPR Targets Memory Loss in Older Rats"},"content":{"rendered":"

Original story from Virginia Tech (VA, USA).<\/a><\/p>\n

Two separate studies have identified age-related molecular changes in the brain and adjusted them to improve memory.<\/p>\n

New research from Virginia Tech<\/a> (VA, USA) shows that memory loss is tied to specific molecular changes in the brain and that adjusting those processes can improve memory.<\/p>\n

In two complementary studies, Timothy Jarome, Associate Professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences\u2019 School of Animal Sciences, and his graduate students used gene-editing tools to target those age-related changes to improve memory performance in older subjects. The work was conducted on rats, a standard model for studying how memory changes with age.<\/p>\n

\u201cMemory loss affects more than a third of people over 70, and it\u2019s a major risk factor for Alzheimer\u2019s disease,\u201d commented Jarome, who also holds an appointment in the School of Neuroscience. \u201cThis work shows that memory decline is linked to specific molecular changes that can be targeted and studied. If we can understand what\u2019s driving it at the molecular level, we can start to understand what goes wrong in dementia and eventually use that knowledge to guide new approaches to treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Neurons \u2018kiss-shrink-run\u2019 to relay information<\/a><\/p>\n

New research has settled the debate between \u2018kiss-and-run\u2019 and \u2018full-collapse\u2019 fusion to explain how neurons transmit signals across synapses.<\/p>\n

Targeting memory loss in two key brain regions<\/p>\n

In the first study [1], led by Jarome and doctoral student Yeeun Bae, the team examined a process called K63 polyubiquitination. This process acts as a molecular tagging system that tells proteins inside the brain how to behave. When the system functions normally, it helps brain cells communicate and form memories.<\/p>\n

Jarome and his team found that aging disrupts K63 polyubiquitination in two distinct areas of the brain. In the hippocampus, which helps form and retrieve memories, levels of K63 polyubiquitination increase with age. Using the CRISPR-dCas13 RNA editing system to reduce these levels, the researchers were able to improve memory in older rats.<\/p>\n

In the amygdala, which is important for emotional memory, the researchers noted that K63 polyubiquitination declines with age. By reducing it even further, they were able to boost memory in older rats.<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether, these findings reveal the important functions of K63 polyubiquitination in the brain\u2019s aging process,\u201d Jarome shared. \u201cIn both regions, adjusting this one molecular process helped improve memory.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reactivating a gene that supports memory<\/p>\n

A second study [2], led by Jarome and doctoral student Shannon Kincaid, focused on IGF2, a growth-factor gene that supports memory formation. As the brain ages, IGF2 activity drops as the gene becomes chemically silenced in the hippocampus.<\/p>\n

\u201cIGF2 is one of a small number of genes in our DNA that\u2019s imprinted, which means it\u2019s expressed from only one parental copy,\u201d Jarome explained. \u201cWhen that single copy starts to shut down with age, you lose its benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n

The researchers found that this silencing happens through DNA methylation, a natural process in which chemical tags accumulate on the gene and switch it off. Using a precise gene-editing tool, CRISPR-dCas9, they removed those tags and reactivated the gene. The result was better memory in older rats.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe essentially turned the gene back on,\u201d Jarome commented. \u201cWhen we did that, the older animals performed much better. Middle-aged animals that didn\u2019t yet have memory problems weren\u2019t affected, which tells us timing matters. You have to intervene when things start to go wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Together, the two studies show that memory loss is not caused by a single molecule or pathway and that multiple molecular systems likely contribute to how the brain ages.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tend to look at one molecule at a time, but the reality is that many things are happening at once,\u201d Jarome concluded. \u201cIf we want to understand why memory declines with age or why we develop Alzheimer\u2019s disease, we have to look at the broader picture.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article has been republished from the following\u00a0materials<\/a>.\u00a0Material may have been edited for length and\u00a0house style. For further information, please contact the cited source. Our press release publishing policy can be accessed\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Original story from Virginia Tech (VA, USA). Two separate studies have identified age-related molecular changes in the brain…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":121998,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[18757,17560,14632,111,139,69,147],"class_list":{"0":"post-121997","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-amygdala","9":"tag-hippocampus","10":"tag-memory-loss","11":"tag-new-zealand","12":"tag-newzealand","13":"tag-nz","14":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121997"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121997\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}