Researchers have found a connection between short-term memory lapses, such as losing your keys, and the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2).

Psychologists from the University of Bonn report that people who have a certain variant of this gene are more easily distracted and experience a higher incidence of lapses due to a lack of attention.

Most of us are familiar with such everyday lapses, such as walking into a room and forgetting why you went there or forgetting the name of the person you are speaking with on the phone.

Such short-term memory lapses are very common, but some people experience them particularly often, said Dr. Martin Reuter from the Department for Differential and Biological Psychology at the University of Bonn.

In previous experiments, researchers discovered indications that the DRD2 plays a part in forgetfulness. The gene has an essential function in signal transmission within the frontal lobes.

This structure can be compared to a director coordinating the brain like an orchestra, said Dr. Sebastian Markett, principal author of the new study.

The DRD2 gene acts as the conductors baton, because it plays a part in dopamine transmission in the brain, he explained. If the baton skips a beat, the orchestra gets confused.

For their study, the researchers tested 500 people by taking a saliva sample and examining the DRD2 gene in each. All humans carry the DRD2 gene, which comes in two variants that are distinguished by only one letter within the genetic code. The one variant has C (cytosine), which is displaced by T (thymine) in the other.

According to the research teams analyses, about a quarter of those tested had the DRD2 gene with the cytosine nucleobase, while three quarters were the genotype with at least one thymine base.

The scientists then set out to discover if this difference in the genetic code had an effect on everyday behavior.

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Gene Variant Can Contribute to Forgetfulness

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