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Genetic variability of memory performance is explained by differences in the brain’s thalamus

An innovative approach has been used to link genetics to behaviour in mice. The analysis reveals that the gene Gpr12 underpins the role of the brain’s thalamus region in maintaining short-term memory.
  1. Michael M. Halassa

    1. Michael M. Halassa is at the McGovern Institute and in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.

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The brain’s thalamus has historically been thought of as a relay centre that transmits sensory and motor inputs to the cortex for processing, or that transmits information from one part of the cortex to another. In 2017, three groups made the unexpected discovery that the thalamus also has a key role in short-term memory — specifically, in maintaining the recurrent patterns of cortical activity that underlie memory1–3. However, the genetic basis of this role for the thalamus remained unexplored. Writing in Cell, Hsiao et al.4 reveal that the gene Gpr12 is key to thalamic maintenance of short-term memory. Their findings will have relevance for many fields, from cognitive therapeutics to artificial intelligence.

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Nature 587, 549-550 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-03195-3

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