Memory is 'team effort' by brain

Researchers say the study uncovered an important brain circuit .

The hippocampus, perirhinal cortex and medial prefrontal cortex all have specific roles in memory processing.

But University of Bristol researchers say the hippocampus is crucial for remembering an object's location.

An Alzheimer's expert say it provides another insight into the brain.

Working on rats, the team of neuroscientists carried out experiments to examine the role of hippocampus in recognition memory tasks.

In other experiments they also looked at how the hippocampus interacts with two other regions of the brain, namely the perirhinal or prefrontal cortex.

These experiments revealed that neither "object-in-place" or "temporal order recognition" memories could be formed if communication between the hippocampus and either the perirhinal cortex, or the prefrontal cortex, was broken.

Continue reading the main story“Start QuoteBrain processes can suffer as normal people age, because we are busy, don't have time...”

End QuoteDr Clea WarburtonUniversity of Bristol Dr Clea Warburton, co-author of the study and reader in cognitive neuroscience at the University of Bristol, said the study had discovered an important brain circuit.

"In normal day to day life we are all collecting information within this brain circuit, which may involve other bits of the brain too.

"If we recognise somebody in the supermarket but can't remember their name it may be because we are used to seeing them somewhere else, like work."

Dr Warburton said this failure of memory can happen for a number of reasons.

"Processes can suffer as normal people age, because we are busy, don't have time or because one bit of the brain circuit is breaking down.

"Then we need to use strategies for processing information better.

"We could repeat the name aloud when we are introduced to someone new or encode a feature of their face or hair - something which will help us encode it more deeply in our memory."

The researchers said their findings could have implications for understanding memory and treating people with memory disorders.

Dr Simon Ridley, head of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said it was too early to say how the findings could help research into Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

"It is important that we understand the complexities of the brain and this discovery brings another insight.

"We desperately need new preventions and treatments to defeat dementia but research funding lags far behind other serious diseases - with 820,000 people affected across the UK, substantial investment is needed now."

Brain research 'funding crisis'

Scientists fear the cost of getting drugs to the market place is holding back brain research Depression 'may lead to dementia'Depression looms as global crisisDepression link to processed food Scientists say research into mental illnesses such as depression is facing a funding crisis.

They warn that new treatments will be delayed and that the next generation of neuroscience researchers will not be trained.

A report by the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology said private companies were pulling out due to the challenge of bringing drugs to market.

It called for more investment and changes to the way trials take place.

The report was the result of a summit of more than 60 representatives of governments, universities, the pharmaceutical industry and patient groups.

Higher failure rate

It said up to 80% of funding for brain research in Europe had traditionally come from the private sector. However, pharmaceutical companies were retreating from the field because of the cost of bringing drugs as far as the consumer.

The report said it took much longer to develop drugs for mental illness - 13 years on average. Those drugs had a higher failure rate and were harder to get licensed for use, it said.

Only one new anti-depressant has been approved in Europe, agomelatine, in the past 10 years.

Professor Guy Goodwin, from the University of Oxford, said a lack of funding could lead to a "generational crisis" in neuroscience research and training.

He said there should be more public money invested in brain research: "The cost and burden are really quite high, yet research attracts disproportionately low investment.

"Public investment in research should be somehow related to the burden of the disease."

The report suggested ways of encouraging more people to invest, such as increasing the patent length for psychiatric drugs - making them more profitable.

A European "medicines chest" was also suggested. Pharmaceutical companies would donate drugs they were no longer using for research, which could then be used by other organisations.

The report suggested that drugs discarded for treating Alzheimer's disease, for example, could be used in research for psychiatric disorders.

Professor David Nutt, of Imperial College London, described the current situation as "madness".

He said: "With Europe's extraordinary tradition in neuroscience innovation relying so heavily on private-sector investment, the consequences for the region's research base and public-health agenda are of major concern."

Beatboxer's brain

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Take a look inside the brain of Reeps One as he beatboxes

Scientists compared the brain activity of UK champion, Reeps One, with that of a novice, while they both beatboxed.

Reeps One mostly used two brain areas, including the cerebellum - responsible for learning complicated movements.

The novice used many more brain areas, suggesting a need to plan each sound and a lack of automatic processing.

Brain clue to fighter pilot skill

Differences in white matter (pink) and the connections between those areas (orange and blue) Continue reading the main storyRelated storiesScans reveal autism brain secretsLibido problems 'brain not mind' Fighter pilots may owe their ability to perform under pressure to the way their brains are wired-up, scans suggest.

The study found differences in the white matter and connections of the brain's right hemisphere, compared with healthy volunteers who were not pilots.

It is not clear whether pilots are born like that, or develop the differences as a result of their training.

The research by University College London (UCL) is published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Royal Air Force fighter pilots are trained to fly at supersonic speeds at low altitude, requiring fine control with very little room for error.

The discipline is considered to be at the limits of human cognitive performance, prompting doctors at UCL to study their brain function.

The research team looked at how 11 front-line RAF Tornado fighter pilots performed in two standard visual cognitive tests to assess their powers of thought.

Their test scores were compared with healthy people of the same age and sex who had no experience of piloting aircraft.

The subjects were also given MRI scans to look at the structure of their brains.

Continue reading the main storyCognitive tests The first test, known as the Eriksen Flanker, measures how quickly and accurately someone can respond to a target stimulus, while being distracted by symbols like arrows or letters. In the second test, participants have to respond as quickly as possible to the signal "go", unless they are told to change their plan before they have made a response. The two visual tests measure how quickly and accurately someone can respond to a target, while being distracted.

The pilots were found to respond more accurately than the control group in the first test, but there was no difference in the second test, suggesting their brain performance was highly particular to specific tests, say the authors.

Professor Masud Husain of the UCL Institute of Neurology and UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience said his research team was interested in the pilots as an expert group capable of making precision choices at high speed.

Born or bred?

He said their ability to perform more accurately in certain tasks was associated with differences in the wiring of the right hemisphere of the brain.

The findings suggested that optimal cognitive control is accompanied by structural alterations in the brain - not only are the relevant areas of the brain larger but connections between key areas are different, he said.

He told the BBC: "An interesting question is whether these pilots were born like that - and so are good as pilots - or have done this through training.

"There's a suggestion it may be they are born like that."

He said the team hopes to look at other professional groups, such as sporting stars and bankers, to see whether there were more differences in brain structure.