SUNY Downstate Scientist Honored by Research Foundation
Apr 14, 2008
Dr. Todd Sacktor Recognized for Finding Molecule that Sustains Memory
Brooklyn, NY - SUNY Downstate Medical Center’s Todd Sacktor, MD, was among twenty faculty members from SUNY campuses around the state honored for their groundbreaking research at a recent awards dinner in Albany.
The SUNY Research Foundation, which hosts the annual dinner, calls the event “New York State’s chance to recognize and thank faculty whose research in fields like medicine, engineering, science, computers, mathematics, social work, and education increases human knowledge, and provides an economic engine for the state.”
Dr. Sacktor was honored in the category of Outstanding Research/Scholar. This category recognizes faculty members for outstanding contributions they have made in their respective fields, including inventions and significant recognition they have received from their peers. Dr. Sacktor is a professor of physiology and pharmacology and of neurology at SUNY Downstate.
For nearly three decades, Dr. Sacktor has been studying the mechanism of learning and memory. He and his research team reported in Science magazine that an enzyme molecule called “protein kinase M zeta” preserves memories through long-term strengthening of synaptic connections between neurons. By inhibiting the enzyme, scientists were able to erase a memory that had been stored for one day, or even one month. After the erasure, the animal models could relearn and then remember normally, indicating that the inhibitor did not damage the brain or permanently disrupt memory function.
These findings may be useful for the treatment of disorders characterized by the pathological over-strengthening of synaptic connections, such as neuropathic pain, phantom limb syndrome, and post-traumatic stress, and possibly even to lead to ability to selectively switch off memories of painful events. Conversely, the identification of the core molecular mechanism for memory storage may focus effort on the development of specific therapeutic agents that enhance memory persistence and prevent memory loss. Science magazine deemed Dr. Sacktor’s discovery one of the “10 Science Breakthroughs of 2006.”
The Research Foundation supports the advancement of education, research and discovery at the State University of New York. In 2007, the Research Foundation administered $781.8 million in research money for 7,400 projects funded by 1,600 sponsors. The SUNY system currently serves more than 427,000 students.
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About SUNY Downstate Medical Center
SUNY Downstate Medical Center, founded in 1860, was the first medical school in the United States to bring teaching out of the lecture hall and to the patient’s bedside. A center of innovation and excellence in research and clinical service delivery, SUNY Downstate Medical Center comprises a College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, a School of Graduate Studies, School of Public Health, University Hospital of Brooklyn, and a multifaceted biotechnology initiative including the Downstate Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT for early-stage and more mature companies, respectively.
SUNY Downstate ranks twelfth nationally in the number of alumni who are on the faculty of American medical schools. More physicians practicing in New York City have graduated from SUNY Downstate than from any other medical school.