Identify genes related to hippocampal mass

According to a study published April 15 in the online journal Nature Genetics, an international team of scientists has discovered four important gene positions involved in the mass loss of hills. Marketing.

Researchers led by Boston Medical University (BUSM) collected data on hippocampal mass of about 9,232 people without schizophrenia. They identified four gene points, including seven genes located in and near these points, which play an important role in determining the mass of the hippocampus.

The results indicate that if one of these genes is altered, the hippocampal average in these people will be the same size as those aged 4 to 5 years.

These results are replicated in two large European studies including participants at different ages but all with cognitive impairment.

Mr. Sudha Seshadri, professor of neuroscience at BUSM said: "These findings indicate that the gene points above can have a large intimate relationship to determine the integrity of the hippocampus through a series of age and cognitive ability ".

One of the genes identified by the researchers also showed an important role in memory performance in many different data samples.

Genetic identification associations indicate that the gene can affect cell death via apoptosis (the main function of apoptosis is to remove unnecessary cells from the tissue without affecting the neighboring cells), brain development and nerve movement during brain development, and oxidative stress.

In addition, the researchers found that these important genes also played a major role in the Ubiquitinization process, a process in which modified proteins and damaged proteins would be completely eliminated.

Mr. Seshadri stressed that future studies need to further explore these gene sites (on chromosomes) to better understand the role of genes in determining hippocampal mass.