- Memory formation is the focus of ongoing research, with questions remaining about the exact mechanisms in the brain that underpin it.
- Sleep has been understood to play a role in memory retention for over a century.
- Melatonin, a hormone naturally produced in the brain to induce sleep and regulate the circadian cycle, has been linked to improved memory in rodents.
- A recent study in mice has proposed that melatonin influences memory formation through the regulation of phosphorylation of proteins in parts of the brain responsible for memory.
How memories are formed has been a puzzle that has perplexed researchers for over a century, and there are still many questions that remain about the biological mechanisms that underpin them.
Perhaps because of this gap in understanding, there are no pharmacological interventions that can be taken to improve memory.
“Currently, there are no drugs that have been specifically approved for improving memory formation. While some prescription medications are used to improve memory in conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, they are not recommended for general memory enhancement in healthy adults,” Dr. Raj Dasgupta, chief medical advisor for Sleep Advisor, told Medical News Today.
Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by the pineal gland in the brain’s center in response to darkness, and it helps regulate the circadian clock and sleep. Synthetic forms can be taken as a supplement to help induce sleep.
Its role in helping treat the symptoms of jet lag and insomnia in humans is the focus of research, according to the
Sleep has been linked to improved retention of memory for over a century, and it is thought that the brain state during sleep is optimized for memory consolidation, though the exact mechanisms…
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