Identifying genes key to human memory: Insights from genetics and cognitive neuroscience
"This is very exciting because the identification of these gene-to-behavior relationships opens up new research avenues for testing the role of these genes in specific aspects of memory function and dysfunction," says Genevieve Konopka of UT Southwestern, who is presenting this new work in San Francisco today at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS) annual conference. "It means we are closer to understanding the molecular mechanisms supporting human memory and thus will be able to use this information someday to assist with all kinds of memory issues." The study is part of the nascent but growing field of "imaging genetics ," which aims to relate genetic variation to variation in brain anatomy and function. "Genes shape the anatomy and functional organization of the brain, and these structural and functional characteristics of the brain give rise to the observable behaviors," says Evelina Fedorenko of Harvard Medical School and Massachuset...