The prion gene is associated with human long-term memory.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Genetics
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Human cognitive functions exhibit significant inter-individual variability.
• Genetic and environmental factors influence cognitive processes, including memory.
• The role of genetic variability in long-term memory, unlike short-term memory, remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of genetic variability in the prion protein gene (PRNP) on long-term memory in healthy young humans.
• To explore the association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the PRNP gene and long-term memory performance.

Main Methods:

• Examined single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the PRNP gene.
• Assessed long-term memory performance using a word list-learning task.
• Compared memory recall between different PRNP genotype carriers in two independent populations.

Main Results:

• SNPs in the PRNP gene were associated with improved long-term memory performance across diverse populations.
• The common Met129Val polymorphism in PRNP showed the largest effect size.
• Individuals with 129MM or 129MV genotypes recalled 17% more information after 24 hours compared to 129VV carriers.
• Short-term memory performance was not affected by the examined PRNP SNPs.

Conclusions:

• The prion protein plays a role in the formation of long-term memory in humans.
• Genetic variations in PRNP influence individual differences in long-term memory capacity.
• PRNP genotype may serve as a potential biomarker for long-term memory performance.