Scientists promised to find common features of the brain in insects and humans

American neuroscientists have learned that the structure and function of the mushroom bodies of the brain relevant for memory and learning in a variety of invertebrate families on a fundamental level one.

Therefore, these features all animals have inherited from the common ancestor, who lived about 600 million years ago. Even the inhabitant of our planet's memory and ability to learn provide the same proteins, as in insects, presented research workers. The results of a new study published in the journal Current Biology, and briefly about it it is told in a press release of the University of Arizona..

Nicolas Strausfeld (Nicholas Strausfeld) and Gabriela wolf (Gabriella Wolff) has analyzed neuroanatomy and chemical composition of the mushroom bodies in 2 major groups of invertebrates: put moulting (Ecdysozoa), which includes all arthropods (insects, arachnids, and other), tardigrades, roundworms, etc group, and the supertype spiral (Lophotrochozoa) - molluscs, annelids, brachiopods.

It turned out that not only individual neurons in the mushroom bodies have similar features, but the principles of organization of the whole body is almost the same. After that, scientists revealed that all invertebrates in the mushroom bodies of abundant 3 protein - DC0, Leo and CaMKII. We already know that without these proteins specifically not valid memory, and the brain is deprived of opportunities to learn. Not to mention the fact that responsible for their expression of genes in rats and flies are no different. The same proteins work in the body: problems with their expression play an important role in Alzheimer's disease, down syndrome and Engelmann.

Further neuroscientists plan to continue searching for similar patterns (and proper protein) in the brain of vertebrates (rats, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish). Scientists suspect that it may be localized in the hippocampus - the area responsible (among other things) for spatial memory. If the search will be crowned with triumph, you will be proved a common origin of the most important parts of the brain in vertebrates and invertebrates.

sections: Society, World News