{"id":34873,"date":"2026-04-23T16:22:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T19:22:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/institutosantosdumont.org.br\/?p=34873"},"modified":"2026-04-23T16:29:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T19:29:14","slug":"estudo-do-isd-identifica-como-proteina-regula-a-duracao-das-memorias-no-cerebro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/institutosantosdumont.org.br\/en\/estudo-do-isd-identifica-como-proteina-regula-a-duracao-das-memorias-no-cerebro\/","title":{"rendered":"ISD study identifies how protein regulates memory duration in the brain."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Why are some experiences stored permanently while others disappear in a few hours? The answer lies in complex molecular processes that determine the strength and duration of our memories. Recent research, developed in partnership by scientists from the Santos Dumont Institute (ISD) and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) and published in the journal eNeuro, identified that the Rac1 protein acts as a physiological limiter in the initial phase of memory formation, restricting its long-term consolidation.<\/span><\/p>

For information to be retained for long periods, the brain undergoes a process called consolidation. This phenomenon depends on synaptic plasticity, the ability of connections between neurons to strengthen, and the synthesis of new proteins in the hippocampus. However, the nervous system has regulatory mechanisms that prevent all stimuli from being permanently fixed.<\/span><\/p>

Previous studies had already linked Rac1 to "active forgetting," the process of erasing already established memories. The new research conducted at ISD demonstrates that the protein plays a fundamental role much earlier: it acts as a molecular barrier during the consolidation window, limiting the persistence of memory soon after learning.<\/span><\/p>

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To investigate this mechanism, the researchers used a specific compound called 1A-116, an inhibitor developed to block the activity of the Rac1 protein. In laboratory experiments using object recognition with animal models, it was observed that administering 1A-116 immediately after a training session resulted in a significant increase in recall duration.<\/p>

While animal models that did not receive the substance forgot the objects within a few days, those treated with the inhibitor retained preserved memory for at least 28 days. The study revealed that even learning considered "weak," that is, those that would normally produce only short-term memory, can be converted into long-term memories through the inhibition of Rac1. The scientists verified that this effect is directly linked to protein synthesis in the hippocampus, confirming that Rac1 exerts direct control over stabilization mechanisms.<\/p>

\u201cOur findings show that memory formation is a bidirectional process from the initial stages, resulting from the dynamic balance between mechanisms that strengthen and limit its consolidation. By identifying Rac1 as one of these regulators, we advance our understanding of how the brain controls what is remembered and what is forgotten soon after learning,\u201d says Carolina Gonzalez, professor-researcher at ISD, one of the authors of the study.<\/p>

Implications for neuroscience<\/span><\/p>

The discovery that Rac1 functions as a restrictive regulator of memory opens avenues for understanding conditions in which cognitive function is impaired. Identifying the mechanisms that limit information retention is an essential step in developing future strategies that can mitigate memory decline or enhance information retention in specific contexts.<\/p>

This work is the result of a collaboration between researchers from the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience (IIN-ELS), the Santos Dumont Institute, and the Memory Research Laboratory at UFRN. The ISD team responsible for the study is composed of undergraduate research fellow Gabriel Fernandes Borges; graduates of the Master's program in Neuroengineering Beatriz do Nascimento Pinheiro Moura and Thays Alves Monteiro; and professor-researchers Andressa Radiske and Maria Carolina Gonzalez. Professor Mart\u00edn Cammarota, from UFRN, also participated in the research.<\/p>

\u201cThis work has served as the basis for the creation of a Latin American network dedicated to the repurposing of Rac1 inhibitors for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and Alzheimer's disease. The initiative brings together researchers from ISD and UFRN (Brazil), the University of Buenos Aires, the National University of Quilmes and the Technological Institute of Buenos Aires (Argentina), and the Pasteur Institute of Montevideo (Uruguay). The network's objective is to strengthen interdisciplinary scientific collaboration and accelerate the translation of basic knowledge into concrete therapeutic applications aimed at disorders associated with memory deficits,\u201d explains Carolina.<\/p>

The study was funded by the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO), the Serrapilheira Institute, and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES). The article can be accessed at:\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1523\/ENEURO.0448-25.2026<\/a>.<\/p>

What is Rac1?<\/span><\/p>

Rac1 is a protein that belongs to the family of so-called "Rho GTPases". Its main function is to coordinate the assembly and movement of the cytoskeleton, the internal structure that gives shape and support to cells.<\/p>

In the brain, Rac1 is especially important in synapses, which are the points of communication between neurons. It helps shape "dendritic spines," small protrusions on neurons where connections are made.<\/p>

About ISD<\/span><\/p>

The Santos Dumont Institute (ISD) is a Social Organization of the Federal Executive Branch, supervised by the Ministry of Education, with the intervention of the Ministry of Sport. It encompasses the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience and the Anita Garibaldi Center for Education and Research in Health, both located in Maca\u00edba. The ISD's mission is to promote education for life, forming citizens through integrated teaching, research, and outreach activities, as well as contributing to a more just and humane transformation of Brazilian social reality.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why are some experiences stored permanently while others disappear in a few hours? The answer lies in complex molecular processes that determine the strength and duration of our memories. Recent research, developed in partnership by scientists from the Santos Dumont Institute (ISD) and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) and published [\u2026]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":34874,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,273,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destaque_noticia","category-neurociencias","category-pesquisa"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/institutosantosdumont.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/institutosantosdumont.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/institutosantosdumont.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/institutosantosdumont.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/institutosantosdumont.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34873"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/institutosantosdumont.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34873\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34880,"href":"https:\/\/institutosantosdumont.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34873\/revisions\/34880"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/institutosantosdumont.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/institutosantosdumont.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/institutosantosdumont.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/institutosantosdumont.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}