Scientists have long known that zinc is abundant in the brain and is localized to the connections between neurons. For this reason, many have assumed that it has an important role in cognitive function, and zinc supplements have even been marketed as an over-the-counter treatment for disorders such as depression. However, the precise function of zinc in cognitive processes has remained controversial.
One of the obstacles to determining the role of zinc was that the metal is difficult to detect in the brain. James O. McNamara and his colleagues at Duke University Medical Center (Durham, NC) teamed up with Stephen J. Lippard and his team at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA) to address this issue. The team synthesized a molecule that quickly and specifically binds to zinc (Neuron 71, 1116–1126; 2011).
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