"MEMORY MOLECULE" STORES MEMORIES IN NEOCORTEX PKMzeta Required for Memory to Endure
Aug 17, 2007
The memory storage molecule - PKMzeta - maintains long-term memories in the neocortex and its presence is continually required in order for the memory to endure, according to a finding by researchers at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel and SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, New York. The study results were published in the current edition of Science Êmagazine ( www.sciencemag.org ). The title of the paper is "Rapid Erasure of Long-Term Memory Associations in Cortex by an Inhibitor of PKMzeta."
It was previously determined that PKMzeta in the hippocampus - an area of the brain involved in navigation and the initial storage of memory - was necessary to preserve spatial memory; but little was known about PKMzeta activity in the neocortex, the part of the brain thought to be responsible for permanently storing most long-term memories, including those required for higher-level cognitive functions, such as language and complex thought.
This new finding - that inhibiting PKMzeta causes the rapid loss of neocortical memories
learned even weeks before- means that persistent phosphorylation by PKMzeta in the
neocortex is necessary to store these long-term memories and has potential clinical
significance, for example, in the field of cognitive enhancement.
Prior research on the memory storage molecule was conducted at SUNY Downstate by Drs.
Todd Sacktor and Andre Fenton and their team. Science magazine called their research
one of the top ten science stories of the year.
###
About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.