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Learning and memory in mice seem to be enhanced by the loss of small RNA molecules called microRNAs (miRNAs) in the brain.
Witold Konopka at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg and his colleagues deactivated the gene for Dicer, a key enzyme in miRNA synthesis, in forebrain neurons of adult mice. Twelve weeks later, the mice showed improved learning and memory in a behavioural test. This was mirrored by increased numbers of a type of dendritic spine in mutant neurons that is associated with learning. After 20 weeks, however, some of the neurons had degenerated, confirming the importance of microRNAs for neuronal survival.
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Neuroscience: Better memory with less microRNA. Nature 468, 1005 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/4681005f
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/4681005f
