Study finds fatty acids help create memories

Researchers at the University of Queensland have revealed the crucial role of saturated fatty acids in consolidating memories in the brain.

Dr Isaac Akefe from UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute discovered the molecular mechanism and identified the genes underlying the memory creation process, opening the door to a potential treatment for neurodegenerative disorders. The research paper is published in the EMBO Journal.

“We have previously shown that levels of saturated fatty acids increase in the brain during neuronal communication, but we did not know what was causing these changes,” Dr Akefe said.

“Now, for the first time, we have identified alterations in the brain’s fatty acid landscape when neurons encode a memory.

“An enzyme called phospholipase A1 (PLA1) interacts with another protein at the synapse called STXBP1 to form saturated fatty acids.”

The brain is the fattest organ in the body, with fatty compounds called lipids making up 60% of its weight. Fatty acids are the building blocks of a class of lipids called phospholipids.

Work carried out in the laboratory of Professor Frédéric Meunier showed that STXBP1 controls the targeting of the PLA1 enzyme, coordinates the release of fatty acids and directs communication at synapses in the brain.

“Human mutations in the PLA1 and STXBP1 genes reduce free fatty acid levels and promote neurological disorders,” said Professor Meunier.

“To determine the importance of free fatty acids in memory formation, we used mouse models in which the PLA1 gene is deleted.

“We tracked the onset and progression of neurological and cognitive decline throughout their lives.

“We found that even before their memory was impaired, their levels of saturated free fatty acids were significantly lower than those of control mice.

“This indicates that this PLA1 enzyme and the fatty acids it releases play a key role in memory acquisition.”

The research has important implications for understanding how memories are formed.

“Our results indicate that manipulating this memory acquisition pathway has exciting potential as a treatment for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease,” said Professor Meunier.

The research team acknowledges the contributions of Ph.D. candidates Saber Abd Elkader of the Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and Benjamin Matthews of the Queensland Brain Institute.

This is a collaborative study with the University of New South Wales, University of Strasbourg, University of Bordeaux, Scripp Research Institute and Baylor College of Medicine.