Scientists have long known that learning requires the flow of calcium into and out of brain cells. But researchers at Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute have now discovered that floods of calcium originating from within neurons can also boost learning. The finding emerged from studies of how mice remember new places they explore.
Published today in Science, the new research doesn’t suggest that you should drink more calcium-rich milk to pass that math class. It provides a better understanding of the mechanisms that underlie learning and memory: knowledge that could help shed light on disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.
“The cells we studied in this new work are in the hippocampus, the first area of the brain affected by Alzheimer’s disease,” said Franck Polleux, PhD, a principal investigator at Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute. “Understanding the basic principles of what allows these…
