BSE aids study of memory

THE infectious agents thought to be behind BSE, or mad cow disease, may be important for brain function and memory.

Research suggests prion proteins turn deadly when they fold the wrong way, building up in the brain and destroying neurons.

"The persistence of memory is a difficult problem," said researcher Kausik Si, from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City, in the United States.

"Experiences are temporal; they happen once, but somehow must lead to changes in the brain that are somewhat permanent."

The findings are published today in the journal Cell.