Loss of gene makes mice smarter
Mice with a disabled RGS14 gene are able to remember objects and learn to navigate mazes better than normal mice.
RGS14 is primarily turned on in the CA2 region of the hippocampus, a region of the brain involved in consolidating new learning and forming new memories.
RGS14, which is also found in humans, has been previously shown to regulate several molecules involved in processing different types of signals in the brain that are known to be important for learning and memory.
Mice were raised with the RGS gene knocked to explore this process of regulation and with the expectation that these mice would demonstrate learning deficiencies, making the actual research findings all the more unexpected.