HLSC 3P19 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Calcium Channel, Dementia
15 Dec 2019
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Topic: calcium channel blockers may be effective in treating memory loss in alzheimer"s disease. It was found that diseased brain cells become overloaded with calcium ions, which at normal levels are important for memory formation. This overload was due to the overproduction of the gene encoding a channel, known as the l-type channel, which allows calcium ions to flow into the cell from outside. More of these channels means more calcium ions are able to flow into the cell, disrupting memory formation. Using a drug to block the l-type channel reversed the effect of disease and reduced the flow of calcium ions to a normal level. The researchers used fruit flies to study alzheimer"s disease, using a fluorescent molecule called gcamp6f, which reports the amount of calcium ions inside brain cells. The research team also investigated the memory of fruit flies by testing if they could remember which of two odours had previously been paired with an electric shock. (2019)
