The surprising role of fat in memory formation
For decades, neuroscience has centered on the brain’s electrical pulses, chemical messengers and synaptic strength as the foundation of learning and memory.
But a new discovery from a QBI research team led by Professor Frédéric Meunier, has revealed a hidden molecular pathway that relies on the generation of a type of fat — specifically, a saturated fatty acid called myristic acid.
A hidden pathway
The team’s findings, published in a pivotal new publication, reveal that an enzyme called DDHD2 releases myristic acid from neuron membranes during learning. Once released, the fatty acid is linked to synaptic proteins in a process known as myristoylation, enabling those proteins to carry out the functions necessary for memory formation. Without this fat-tagging, the proteins can’t do their job, the synapses can’t strengthen, and memories can’t stick.
"This is the first time anyone has demonstrated that myristoylation, the attachment of fats to synaptic proteins, is essential for memory acquisition.
“It opens an entirely new way of thinking about how our brains store experiences.”
Yet, as lead researcher and co-author, Dr Ben Matthews, points out, this molecular landscape remains largely unexplored.
“There is currently a deficit of tools available to characterise and measure activity-dependent protein myristoylation,” he said. “One of the key goals of my research is to develop new technologies to better understand how these modifications drive memory, and how they might be disrupted in cognitive decline or neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.”
An exciting new avenue
The team’s experiments with mice offered striking proof. When they genetically engineered mice lacking the DDHD2 enzyme, the animals were unable to lipidate synaptic proteins in their brains during learning tasks. Despite being exposed to new experiences, their neurons failed to strengthen their connections — the biological foundation of memory.
What’s especially intriguing is the nature of the fat involved. Myristic acid, a saturated fatty acid found in coconut oil and butter, has long been viewed as a dietary villain. But inside the brain, the generation of our own myristic acid plays a starring role in memory formation.
Future research
Collaborator in this research, Dr. Nathalie Dehorter, described the team’s discovery as a breakthrough in understanding the brain’s remarkable plasticity, pointing to its potential for better understanding and treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by disrupting the formation of traumatic memories.
If blocking DDHD2 disrupts memory formation, could scientists one day create a drug that dampens traumatic memories or prevents them from taking hold?
“This opens an exciting window into how we might one day intervene in the memory consolidation process.
“But translating this into clinical practice is still a long way off—and any effort to modify memory pathways must be guided by rigorous ethical standards.”
She warned that attempts to manipulate memory raise profound ethical concerns, touching on issues of consent, personal identity, and the potential for misuse.
While such treatments are still years away, the work signals a major shift in how researchers understand the biochemistry of memory.
Built with Shorthand