Molecular and Signaling Mechanisms of Synaptic Plasticity in Memory Formation and Mental Health

Synapse has been shown to undergo persistent modifications in response to different patterns of activity which is termed synaptic plasticity, with long term potentiation (LTP) and long term depression (LTD) being its major forms. Synaptic plasticity has been hypothesized to underlie the experience-dependent brain functions, such as learning, memory and anxiety. We are interested in how NMDA receptors function in inducing these many forms of synaptic plasticity. We are not only interested in short term modifications in the synaptic protein composition through calcium mediated signaling pathway, but also CREB mediated gene transcription which provides new proteins for long term modification of the synapse.