by Alex Smith, University of Minnesota Medical School

Altered c-Fos expression by chemogenetic excitation of MLIs in cerebellar lobules IV-VII following the social recognition test. a Design of c-Fos imaging after the social recognition test. Examples of c-Fos staining (black dots) in the PL (b) and BLA (c) subregions. Fold change, defined as the number of c-Fos-positive cells in each group divided by the average value of the control group, was summarized for all subregions in the medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala. *p < 0.05, two-tailed Fisher’s LSD test. ns, not significant. n = 6 mice/group. Data are presented as the mean ± SEM and the center of error bars is the mean. Source data are provided as a Source Data file. Acg anterior cingulate cortex (rostral), PL prelimbic cortex, IL infralimbic cortex, CeA central nucleus of amygdala, BLA basolateral amygdala, BMP basomedial amygdala. Credit: Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41744-2

As millions of Americans struggle with memory loss and dementia brought on by increasingly common neurodegenerative disorders, like Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, greater understanding of how the brain works and is affected in those suffering from memory loss will be key to advancing more effective and targeted treatments.

Published in Nature Communications, University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth Campus researchers discovered the cerebellum coordinates the brain network essential for social recognition memory. Social recognition memory is a cognitive process that allows individuals to remember and recognize the identities of other people, particularly those they have previously encountered.

"Loss of recognition memory is a common symptom in neurodegenerative disorders. Understanding this complex brain function is a critical step that could lead to the development of targeted therapies," said Yi-Mei Yang, Ph.D., an associate professor at the U of M Medical School, Duluth Campus.

In this study, researchers directed cerebellar activity with precise control in preclinical models. They found that the cerebellum is engaged in the retrieval of social information by activating the neural matrix underlying emotional responses and cognitive functions.

The research team says future studies will include real-time monitoring of cerebellum-neocortex interactions during social recognition tasks.

More information: Owen Y. Chao et al, Social memory deficit caused by dysregulation of the cerebellar vermis, Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41744-2

Journal information: Nature Communications 

Provided by University of Minnesota Medical School