Neurobiology: Young receptors make smart mice

Long-term potentiation (LTP) in a region of the brain called the hippocampus is thought to underlie some forms of learning and memory. Fresh evidence for this theory comes from studies of transgenic mice that have been engineered to overexpress a subunit of the NMDA receptor called NR2B. These mice are not only smarter than usual, but they do, indeed, show enhanced LTP.

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