阿根廷布宜诺斯艾利斯大学和巴西南大河州天主教主教大学的科学家发现，向老鼠注射超剂量的脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）后，其记忆在大脑中的持续时间延长了7到10倍。这一发现表明，BDNF蛋白能够决定记忆在大脑中持续的时间长短。相关研究成果发表在《美国国家科学院院刊》上。

巴西南大河州天主教主教大学的科学家马丁·卡玛罗达认为，BDNF对大脑特定区域中的记忆支撑至关重要。实验中，这种蛋白质能够逆转因药物处理导致特定区域蛋白质消除而引发的失忆过程。研究人员认为，这一发现为开发对抗神经退行性疾病（如阿尔茨海默病）所致记忆损伤的药物开辟了新途径。

卡玛罗达表示，目前还不能像对老鼠那样将BDNF直接注入人脑，因为存在不确定的风险，但可以研究这一过程中的神经化学和神经解剖学机制。根据现有成果，已可通过使用已知安全药物对健康年轻人或老年人进行间接试验，以掌握BDNF在大脑中的蓄积程度。一旦取得进展，便可扩展到早期阿尔茨海默病患者等神经退行性疾病患者。此外，科学家认为，这项研究还可探索记忆持久性与强度之间的相互关系。

原始出处：
Published online on February 8, 2008
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 10.1073/pnas.0711863105
NEUROSCIENCE

BDNF is essential to promote persistence of long-term memory storage
Pedro Bekinschtein*, Martín Cammarota, Cynthia Katche*, Leandro Slipczuk*, Janine I. Rossato, Andrea Goldin*, Ivan Izquierdo,, and Jorge H. Medina*
*Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias and Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Centro de Memória, Instituto de Pesquisas Biomédicas, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, RS 90610-1121 Porto Alegre, Brazil
Contributed by Ivan Izquierdo, December 20, 2007 (sent for review November 30, 2007)
Abstract
Persistence is a characteristic attribute of long-term memories (LTMs). However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that mediate this process. We recently showed that persistence of LTM requires a late protein synthesis- and BDNF-dependent phase in the hippocampus. Here, we show that intrahippocampal delivery of BDNF reverses the deficit in memory persistence caused by inhibition of hippocampal protein synthesis. Importantly, we demonstrate that BDNF induces memory persistence by itself, transforming a nonlasting LTM trace into a persistent one in an ERK-dependent manner. Thus, BDNF is not only necessary, but sufficient to induce a late postacquisition phase in the hippocampus essential for persistence of LTM storage.
consolidation | hippocampus | forgetting | ERK1/2