Copper nanoclusters based short-term memory “eraser”

Abstract

Short-term memory refers to processing information during short-term storage and manipulation which is affected by a variety of factors. If there exists a biocompatible material that can effectively enter the brain, remove some short-term memories (such as car accident, murder, etc.), and be excreted from the body automatically, it will be expected to significantly reduce level of depression, anxiety and even the odds of suicide. Herein, we synthesize the bovine serum albumin (BSA)-templated copper nanoclusters (BSA-CuNCs) and BSA-templated silver nanoclusters (BSA-AgNCs) respectively then discuss their potential as short-term memory “erasers”. In vivo experiments show that both CuNCs and AgNCs can effectively penetrate the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and decrease the recognition memory of mice by inhibiting neuronal cell conduction within 24 h. Interestingly, after 3 weeks, the discrimination index (DI) of the BSA-CuNCs-treated mice increases again and the memory can be recovered. In contrast, mice of the BSA-AgNCs group do not regain their memory. In addition, BSA-CuNCs exhibit good biocompatibility and can be metabolically cleared by the organism, which makes BSA-CuNCs intriguing potential for short-term memory erasure.