The Biological Mechanisms of Memory Formation
Schuyler Rewick - Marin Academy Research Collaborative
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What is Memory Formation?
Learning is the natural biological process of acquiring new knowledge about the world and our surroundings, while memory is the critical cognitive process of retaining and reconstructing that knowledge over time. As humans, we are who we are in large part due to our learned experiences, as well as what we remember and forget. However, disorders of cognition and memory, which are highly interconnected, disrupt these processes and have a dramatic effect on the global aging population, making it extremely important that we understand the molecular, cellular, and mechanical mechanisms underlying the formation of memories.
Memory Types
Memory formation is not the result of a linear sequence of events but rather the dynamic outcome of several interactive processes such as the acquisition of new information and the consolidation of short-term memory to long-term memory. Of these two major types of memory, short-term refers to information processed quickly, lasting only minutes to hours, while long-term is stored information that lasts much longer. Long-term memory encapsulates both explicit and implicit memory. Explicit, or declarative memory, is important for remembering facts, events, people, and places, and implicit, or non-declarative memory, is important for information that accumulates over time and is not accessible to conscious recollection.
Biological Processes Behind Memory Formation
To understand the process of memory formation, it is important to note the association between learning/memory and synaptic plasticity. Synapses are the junctions between neurons that allow them to communicate with each other and with target tissues, and synaptic plasticity is the flexible nature of synapse strength based on neuronal activity. The process of plasticity is an important ability of the brain that allows it to change and adapt to new information. Plasticity relies on the translation and production of proteins, part of a process known as protein synthesis, which occurs in two stages — transcription and translation — and is key to memory formation.
My Project
Working with Doyle Lokitiyakul at the Buck Institute, I will be exploring the role of certain proteins in memory formation, as well as translational regulation in the synapses and how it affects neuronal plasticity. More specifically, I aim to investigate and evaluate the role of EIF4B in local activity-dependent translation, synaptic plasticity, and long-term memory.
In Spring 2023, I created this poster proposing a project. Since then, my specific project has evolved and shifted from micework to cell culture work surrounding this topic.
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