Same Difference: Two Halves of the Hippocampus Have Strikingly Different Gene Activity

 


Under the direction of researchers from UT Southwestern, a study of gene activity in the hippocampus of the brain has revealed significant differences between the anterior and posterior parts of the region. The findings, which were published on May 28, 2021, in the journal Neuron, have the potential to shed light on a variety of brain disorders that involve the hippocampus and may eventually assist in the development of novel, specialized treatments. 


According to study leader Genevieve Konopka, PhD, associate professor of neuroscience at U T S W, "These new data reveal molecular-level differences that allow us to view the anterior and posterior hippocampus in a whole new way". 


According to her and Bradley C. L-E G-A, MD, co-leader of the study and associate professor of neurological surgery, neurology, and psychiatry, the human hippocampus is typically regarded as a uniform structure that plays important roles in memory, spatial navigation, and emotion regulation. However, some studies have suggested that the two ends of the hippocampus, the anterior, which points toward the face, and the posterior, which points toward the back of the head, perform distinct functions. 


Researchers have hypothesized that the front hippocampus may be more significant for feeling and state of mind, while the back hippocampus may be more significant for perception. However, according to Konopka, a Jon Heighten Scholar in Autism Research, researchers have not yet investigated whether these two halves differ in gene activity. 


The Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute's Konopka and L-E G-A and their colleagues isolated samples of the anterior and posterior hippocampus from five epileptic patients who had the structure removed for the study. He, who performed the surgeries, explains that the hippocampus is frequently where seizures start. Despite the fact that these seizures are caused by abnormalities in the brain, microscopic examination suggested that the tissues used in this study were anatomically normal


Under the direction of researchers from UT Southwestern, a study of gene activity in the hippocampus of the brain has revealed significant differences between the anterior and posterior parts of the region. The findings, which were published on May 28, 2021, in the journal Neuron, have the potential to shed light on a variety of brain disorders that involve the hippocampus and may eventually assist in the development of novel, specialized treatments. 


According to study leader Genevieve Konopka, PhD, associate professor of neuroscience at U T S W, "These new data reveal molecular-level differences that allow us to view the anterior and posterior hippocampus in a whole new way". 


According to her and Bradley C. L-E G-A, MD, co-leader of the study and associate professor of neurological surgery, neurology, and psychiatry, the human hippocampus is typically regarded as a uniform structure that plays important roles in memory, spatial navigation, and emotion regulation. However, some studies have suggested that the two ends of the hippocampus, the anterior, which points toward the face, and the posterior, which points toward the back of the head, perform distinct functions. 


Researchers have hypothesized that the front hippocampus may be more significant for feeling and state of mind, while the back hippocampus may be more significant for perception. However, according to Konopka, a Jon Heighten Scholar in Autism Research, researchers have not yet investigated whether these two halves differ in gene activity. 


The Peter O'Donnell Jr Brain Institute's Konopka and L-E G-A and their colleagues isolated samples of the anterior and posterior hippocampus from five epileptic patients who had the structure removed for the study. He, who performed the surgeries, explains that the hippocampus is frequently where seizures start. Despite the fact that these seizures are caused by abnormalities in the brain, microscopic examination suggested that the tissues used in this study were anatomically normal

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What Are The Popular Topics For Article

Border violence displaces 76,000 in Lebanon: Hezbollah

Worrying signs that your fatty liver is getting worse