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Summer 2010:

Jun 25th

Cortical methylation maintains remote memory

Speaker: Justin Shobe

Summary of the talk:

Relevant Paper :

Paper 1



Jul 09th

Activity-dependent nuclear translocation from synapse to nucleus of the Transducer of Regulated CREB 1(TORC1)/CREB Regulated Transcriptional Co-activator 1 (CRTC1)

Speaker : Kelsey Martin

Summary of the talk :

Relevant Paper :

[Work from her lab]



Jul 30th

Metaplasticity at Single Synapses

Speaker: Adam Frank

Summary of the talk: Neuronal activity is known to modify NMDA receptor subunit composition; and, NMDAR subunit composition has significant effects on NMDAR synaptic currents. Given the importance of the NMDAR in the induction of LTP it is not surprising that altering NMDAR currents, by altering subunit composition, has demonstrated effects on the induction of LTP. Lee et al. now demonstrate these phenomena at the level of single synapses in cultured hippocampal neurons: altering spontaneous activity changes the ratio of NR2B to NR2A subunits and effects both NMDAR synaptic current as well as LTP induction threshold. These findings are presented in the context of metaplasticity, where prior activity at a synapse effects the subsequent ability of the synapse to undergo plasticity.

Relevant Paper :

Paper 1

Supplementary Info



Aug 06th

The reorganization and reactivation of hippocampal maps predict spatial memory performance

Speaker: Walt Babiec

Summary: The hippocampus has place cells that preferentially fire at a particular location of spatial arena. Dupret et al. report that place fields remapped as a result of goal-directed spatial learning and that sharp wave/ripple reactivation events seen during memory consolidation predicted the strength of subsequent spatial memory.

Relevant Paper :

News and Views

Paper

Supplementary Info


Aug 13th

Lateral and laminar flow of information in cortical circuits.


Speaker: Dean Buonomano

Summary: The basic flow of activity through cortical circuits is not understood, nor is the computational function of each step in the cortical circuit. It is known that lateral interactions play two critical roles: sharing information between neighboring areas and, conversely, competition through lateral inhibition. This paper from the Scanziani lab shows that both lateral competition and facilitation can be observed in vivo and in vitro.


Relevant Paper:

Paper



Aug 20th

BDNF substitutes for fear extinction


Speaker: Ravi Ponnusamy

Summary: Not provided


Relevant Paper:

Paper



Aug 27th

GABA is it purely inhibitory

Speaker : Shlomo Dellal

Summary: GABA is generally regarded as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the adult CNS. However, in recent years, an excitatory role for GABA has been found in several brain regions. In this week’s LMP journal club, Shlomo Dellal will discuss a paper from the Rusakov and Kullman laboratories, in which they report that δ subunit containing GABAA receptors are expressed in presynaptic hippocampal mossy fiber boutons, where they enhance synaptic transmission and can facilitate LTP induction.

Relevant Paper:

Paper_1 Supp



Sep 03rd

Integrating dorsal and ventral hippocampus

Speaker : Gina Rinetti

Summary:Although the anatomical structure of the hippocampus is preserved along its septo-temporal axis, increasing evidence suggests that the septal (dorsal) and temporal (ventral) regions have different functions and project to different structures. Importantly, most studies focus on specific physiological aspects of the hippocampus such as learning and memory, LTP, space recognition (place cells, grid cells, etc), or emotion without integrating the findings within an anatomical context. Royer et al., J neuroscience 2010 (original paper) and Fanselow and Dong, Neuron 2010 (review), have been able to reconcile many of these functions in an elegant anatomical model.

My talk will focus mainly on the paper by Royer et al., in which the authors characterize the striking differences between place cells in dorsal and ventral CA3 areas. In general, dorsal pyramidal neurons are able to represent the environment better and display more precise temporal dynamics, compared to ventral pyramidal cells. An examination of these findings will be discussed in the context of hippocampal anatomy and integrative physiology. This discussion will be complemented with some examples from Fanselow and Dong.


Relevant Paper:

Paper 1 Paper 2



Sep 09th

The role of SIRT1 in memory formation and synaptic plasticity

Speaker: Marwan Maalouf

Summary:

The role of the histone deacetylase Sirt1 in brain aging and neurodegeneration has been widely documented but its involvement in cognitive functions is unknown. In the article entitled "A novel pathway regulates memory and plasticity ia SIRT1 and miR-134", Gao et al (2010) report that Sirt1 activation enhances memory formation and synaptic plasticity. The authors attribute the effects of Sirt1 to a microRNA-mediated mechanism. Specifically, they demonstrate that increased expression of the microRNA miR-134 in mice lacking Sirt1 catalytic activity downregulates the expression of CREB and BDNF, two factors that are critical for memory formation and synaptic plasticity.



Relevant Paper:

Paper 1 Supplement



Sep 17th

PKM zeta maintains memories by regulating GluR2-dependent AMPA receptor trafficking

Speaker: Michael Condro

Summary: PKMzeta is a PKC isoform that is both necessary and sufficient for late maintenance of LTP. Inactivation of this molecule can reverse LTP and abolish memory in some brain regions. This paper looks deeper into the mechanism by which PKMzeta maintains LTP.

Relevant Paper:

Paper 1


Sep 24th

Gilgamesh Is Required for Olfactory Conditioning in Drosophila

Speaker: Adam Roberts

Summary: Work on olfactory conditioning in Drosophila has succeeded in identifying several molecules, such as CREB, that have proved to be generally important in learning and memory (Davis, 2005). Recent work by Tan et al., 2010 has identified a novel mutant, gilgamesh (gish); the normal allele of the gish gene encodes casein kinase Ig and is required for olfactory conditioning. Memory impairments in the gish mutant appear to be independent of those previously observed in dunce and rutabaga mutants, which have deficits in cAMP signaling. This is the first paper demonstrating a role for casein kinase I in learning and memory.


Relevant Paper:

Paper 1



Previous Semesters

Spring 2010

Fall 2009