Lee Li-Ching, Su Ming-Tsan, Bao Lei, Lee Po-Lei, Tutwiler Shane, Yeh Ting-Kuang, Chang Chun-Yen
Institute for Research Excellence in Learning Sciences and Graduate Institute of Science Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Brain Behav Immun Health. 2025 Feb 24;44:100970. doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2025.100970. eCollection 2025 Mar.
The dynamic regulation of synaptic plasticity underlies memory formation, involving intricate signaling pathways with both facilitatory and inhibitory roles. MicroRNAs are emerging modulators of memory processes through their fine-tuning of gene expression. To explore the influence of miRNAs on adolescent cognitive function, we investigated the association between academic performance, cognitive ability as measured by the Inquiry for Scientific Thinking, Analytics, and Reasoning test, and plasma miRNA profiling in 486 senior high school students. Our analysis identified 38 differentially expressed miRNAs between students with high and low academic performance. Notably, miR-219 b/548e/628/885 and miR-30a/30c-1/195/204 potentially targeted genes associated with the CaMKII/SIRT1 signaling pathway, a crucial facilitator of memory consolidation. Collectively, our findings suggest that specific plasma miRNAs, particularly the CaMKII/SIRT1-related miR-30a/30c-1/195/204 cluster, potentially serve as promising biomarkers for cognitive function in adolescents. Our findings further support the proposed interaction between NF-kB activity and CaMKIIα in regulating synaptic plasticity. Under hypomethylation conditions, increased NF-kB activity, a key component of inflammation and neural plasticity, influences learning and memory. This biological pathway, representing the initiation of epigenetic memory, demonstrates significant predictive power for both cognitive ability and academic performance.
突触可塑性的动态调节是记忆形成的基础，涉及具有促进和抑制作用的复杂信号通路。微小RNA（MicroRNAs）通过对基因表达的微调，正在成为记忆过程的调节因子。为了探究微小RNA对青少年认知功能的影响，我们调查了486名高中生的学业成绩、通过科学思维、分析和推理测试所衡量的认知能力与血浆微小RNA谱之间的关联。我们的分析确定了学业成绩高和低的学生之间有38种差异表达的微小RNA。值得注意的是，miR-219 b/548e/628/885和miR-30a/30c-1/195/204可能靶向与CaMKII/SIRT1信号通路相关的基因，该信号通路是记忆巩固的关键促进因子。总体而言，我们的研究结果表明，特定的血浆微小RNA，特别是与CaMKII/SIRT1相关的miR-30a/30c-1/195/204簇，可能作为青少年认知功能有前景的生物标志物。我们的研究结果进一步支持了在调节突触可塑性方面，NF-kB活性与CaMKIIα之间存在的相互作用。在低甲基化条件下，炎症和神经可塑性的关键成分NF-kB活性增加，会影响学习和记忆。这条代表表观遗传记忆起始的生物学途径，对认知能力和学业成绩都具有显著的预测能力。
