GENETICS OF SLEEP AND

MEMORY
BY:NAEEMA KHANUM
SLEEP AND GENETICS
DEC2 is a transcriptional repressor for the expression of
orexin.
NPSR1 gene encodes a signaling protein
These individual rhythms are synchronized by signals
sent from part of the brain known as the suprachiasmatic
nucleus (SCN). Together with 
input from environmental factors like food, light, and te
mperature
, the SCN helps our body know when to wake up and
when to go to sleep. Critical to this process are genes
like CLOCK, CRY, PER, CK1ẟ/ϵ, and DEC2, which
collectively build and maintain a cell’s circadian rhythm
CONTD
Variants—heritable changes in the DNA—that are
found in these genes affect sleep to different degrees.
. For example, some variants in the PER2 gene have
been found to increase a person’s likelihood of
having Familial Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome.
Variants in the CLOCK gene have been associated with
a shift of only half an hour in sleep duration7. This
highlights the fact that there’s a wide spectrum of ways
that DNA can potentially influence a person’s sleep.
Memory and genetics
Memory is not inherited
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
Epigenetics
Children’s genes remember the environmental
factors their parents were exposed to
GENETICS AND MEMORY
 A new study suggests that a subtle genetic difference may
be responsible for some of the normal variation found in
human memory and learning function.
Researchers identified two different inherited forms of a
gene vital for learning and memory, known as BDNF (brain-
derived neurotrophic factor). They found people with one
version of this gene performed better on a memory and
learning test.
In addition, laboratory tests showed people with the other
form BDNF did not process a BDNF-related protein
normally, which might explain some of the memory-related
problems.
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