British scientists win neuroscience prize
7 Mar 2016 by Evoluted New Media
A trio of British scientists have won the world’s largest prize for brain research, awarded by the Grete Lundbeck European Brain Research Foundation in Denmark.
A trio of British scientists have won the world’s largest prize for brain research, awarded by the Grete Lundbeck European Brain Research Foundation in Denmark.
Tim Bliss, Graham Collingridge and Richard Morris are recipients of the 2016 Brain Prize, worth one million euros. The scientists were awarded the prize for their research into long term potentiation (LTP), helping explain how memory functions.
Sir Colin Blakemore, chair of the selection committee, said: “Memory is at the heart of human experience. This year’s winners, through their ground-breaking research, have transformed our understanding of memory and learning, and the devastating effects of failing memory.”
The scientists have shown how synapses between brain cells in the hippocampus – responsible for the formation of new memories – can be strengthened through repeat stimulation. The basic mechanisms behind LTP have been revealed as well as the fact LTP is the starting point for humans’ ability to learn and remember.
LTP underpins the brain’s capacity to be able to rewire itself – to varying degrees – after incidents such as a stroke or blindness. Medical conditions such as depression, anxiety, epilepsy and schizophrenia are believed to be caused by disorders in the ability to alter synaptic strength and it is believed ever-growing knowledge about LTP can help improve treatments for these conditions.
Graham Collingridge, professor of neuroscience at Bristol University, said: “Working on the cellular mechanisms of learning and memory has been both richly challenging and intensely rewarding for me. I am really excited about now translating discoveries about LTP into new treatments for dementia.”
The prize will be awarded to the scientists on July 1st in Copenhagen by Prince Frederik of Denmark.
