- Reaction score
- 1,688
When she succeeded, Dr. Iram said the result was about 10 microliters of cerebrospinal fluid, which is about one-fifth the size of a drop of water. In order to collect enough for infusion, she had to perform the procedure on hundreds of mice, tame the technical challenges that Dr. Wyss-Coray warned of with the pure force of repetition.
“I like doing these types of research that require a lot of patience,” said Dr. Iram. “I just set a goal, and I can’t stop.”
To inject young cerebrospinal fluid into older mice, Dr. Iram made a small hole in the skull and implanted a pump under the skin on the upper back. For comparison, he injected artificial cerebrospinal fluid into another group of old mice.
A few weeks later, mice were exposed to clues (tones and flashing lights) that they had previously learned to be associated with foot shock. Animals that received young cerebrospinal fluid infusions tended to freeze longer, suggesting that they preserved a stronger memory of the original paw shock.
“I like doing these types of research that require a lot of patience,” said Dr. Iram. “I just set a goal, and I can’t stop.”
To inject young cerebrospinal fluid into older mice, Dr. Iram made a small hole in the skull and implanted a pump under the skin on the upper back. For comparison, he injected artificial cerebrospinal fluid into another group of old mice.
A few weeks later, mice were exposed to clues (tones and flashing lights) that they had previously learned to be associated with foot shock. Animals that received young cerebrospinal fluid infusions tended to freeze longer, suggesting that they preserved a stronger memory of the original paw shock.
Spinal Fluid From Young Mice Sharpened Memories of Older Rodents (Published 2022)
Researchers identified a protein in the fluid that could boost the cognition of aging animals — and might lead to future treatments for people.
www.nytimes.com
Last edited: