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Reversing Memory Failure Caused by TBI: 6 Questions for Neuroscientist Susanna Rosi

By Arezu Sarvestani

Susanna Rosi
Susanna Rosi, PhD

UC San Francisco researchers on July 10, 2017, reported an unprecedented finding – that a drug-like molecule can completely reverse severe memory and learning impairments in mice with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Impaired mice given an experimental drug known as ISRIB were able to learn and remember mazes as well as normal mice, even when the drug was given a full month after initial injury, according to research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

TBI affects about 2 million people in the U.S., and there are an estimated three new cases per minute. TBI can hurt spatial memory used to complete everyday tasks as well as memory used in reasoning and decision-making, and there is no known cure.  

Lead authors Austin Chou and Karen Krukowski, PhD, joined co-senior author Susanna Rosi, PhD, for a live chat on Reddit to answer questions about the study, what it means and what areas need more research before ISRIB can be tested in humans. Below are six of the top questions and answers.

Comment from discussion Science AMA Series: I’m Susanna Rosi, director of neurocognitive research at UCSF. I study brain injury and how trauma impacts cognitive function. My lab just released findings on a drug-like molecule that reverses cognitive impairment in mice with traumatic brain injury. AMA!.
Comment from discussion Science AMA Series: I’m Susanna Rosi, director of neurocognitive research at UCSF. I study brain injury and how trauma impacts cognitive function. My lab just released findings on a drug-like molecule that reverses cognitive impairment in mice with traumatic brain injury. AMA!.
Comment from discussion Science AMA Series: I’m Susanna Rosi, director of neurocognitive research at UCSF. I study brain injury and how trauma impacts cognitive function. My lab just released findings on a drug-like molecule that reverses cognitive impairment in mice with traumatic brain injury. AMA!.
Comment from discussion Science AMA Series: I’m Susanna Rosi, director of neurocognitive research at UCSF. I study brain injury and how trauma impacts cognitive function. My lab just released findings on a drug-like molecule that reverses cognitive impairment in mice with traumatic brain injury. AMA!.
Comment from discussion Science AMA Series: I’m Susanna Rosi, director of neurocognitive research at UCSF. I study brain injury and how trauma impacts cognitive function. My lab just released findings on a drug-like molecule that reverses cognitive impairment in mice with traumatic brain injury. AMA!.
Comment from discussion Science AMA Series: I’m Susanna Rosi, director of neurocognitive research at UCSF. I study brain injury and how trauma impacts cognitive function. My lab just released findings on a drug-like molecule that reverses cognitive impairment in mice with traumatic brain injury. AMA!.

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