Scientists at UBC’s faculty of medicine have discovered a new type of brain cell that plays a central role in our ability to remember and recognize objects.
Key Highlights
- Called ‘ovoid cells,’ these highly-specialized neurons activate each time we encounter something new, triggering a process that stores those objects in memory and allowing us to recognize them months.
- Object recognition memory is central to our identity and how we interact with the world. Knowing if an object is familiar or new can determine everything from survival to day-to-day functioning, and has huge implications for memory-related diseases and disorders.
- Named for the distinct egg-like shape of their cell body, ovoid cells are present in relatively small numbers within the hippocampus of humans, mice and other animals.
- This discovery provides key insights into how memories form and could aid in the treatment of brain conditions related to object recognition, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and epilepsy.
(Source: UBC Faculty of Medicine)
