Can you recognize someone you haven't seen in years, but forget what you had for breakfast yesterday? Our brains constantly rearrange their circuitry to remember familiar faces or learn new skills, but the molecular basis of this process isn't well understood. Today, scientists report that sulfate groups on complex sugar molecules called glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) affect 'plasticity' in the brains of mice. Determining how GAGs function could help us understand how memory and learning work in humans, and provide ways to repair neural connectivity after injuries.
Complex sugar molecules control the formation of perineuronal nets that surround neurons to help stabilize connections in the brain. Credit: Linda Hsieh-Wilson’s lab
The sugars that sweeten fruits, candies or cakes are actually just a few simple varieties of the many types of sugars that exist. When strung together, they can make a wide array of complex sugars. GAGs are formed by then attaching other chemical structures, including sulfate groups.and hopefully, in the future, use this information to restore or enhance neural connections involved in memory," says Linda Hsieh-Wilson, Ph.D.
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