Mechanisms of Memory Consolidation

记忆是人类生命的基本要素，但它仍然是现代生物学研究中最大的谜团之一。神经系统疾病（如阿尔茨海默氏症或头部创伤）导致的记忆丧失对生活质量有着毁灭性的影响。因此，了解记忆的分子过程将为记忆疗法提供潜在的途径。这项提案的长期目标是在分子、细胞和神经网络层面上了解记忆是如何形成、巩固和检索的。我们使用果蝇作为我们的模型系统，因为它可以学习，它有一个相对简单的大脑，它适合复杂的遗传方法。我们将使用最先进的技术，通过一种新的食欲长期记忆测定来研究保守的信号分子如何在定义的神经回路中编码记忆。我们期望这些研究将对人类记忆疗法的策略产生重大影响。公共卫生相关性：记忆是人类生存的关键要素。因此，神经系统疾病（如阿尔茨海默氏症）或头部创伤导致的记忆丧失严重影响生活质量。我们的工作将提供一个基本的了解细胞，分子和神经回路过程的记忆提供潜在的途径，记忆疗法在人类。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Memory is a fundamental element of human life yet it remains one of the greatest mysteries of modern biological research. Memory loss through neurological disease, such as Alzheimer's, or head trauma, has a devastating impact on the quality of life. Understanding the molecular process of memory would therefore provide potential avenues for mnemonic therapy. The long- term goal of this proposal is to understand how memories are formed, consolidated and retrieved at the molecular, cellular and neural network level. We use the fruit fly Drosophila as our model system because it can learn, it has a relatively simple brain and it is amenable to a sophisticated genetic approach. We will use the most up-to-date technology available with a new appetitive long-term memory assay to investigate how conserved signaling molecules function within the context of defined neural circuits to encode memory. We expect that these studies will have a major impact on strategies for human mnemonic therapy. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Memory is a critical element of human existence. Consequently, memory loss through neurological disease, such as Alzheimer's, or head trauma, severely impacts quality of life. Our work will provide a fundamental understanding of the cellular, molecular and neural circuit processes of memory providing potential avenues for mnemonic therapy in humans.