Loss of one neuron type may dull spatial memory in old mice
A study in Nature Communications reports that ageing impairs spatial-coding cells in the medial entorhinal cortex of mice. It identifies a neuron type marked by the gene Bglap3.
The researchers suggest that losing these Bglap3 neurons with age may contribute to the decline in spatial memory. The work is peer-reviewed. It gives scientists a specific cell type to study further. The findings come from mice, and the link to memory decline is a suggestion, not proof. The work is far from applying to people.