Mechanisms of Memory Consolidation

描述(申请人提供)：记忆是人类生活的基本元素，但它仍然是现代生物学研究中最大的谜团之一。阿尔茨海默氏症或头部创伤等神经系统疾病导致的记忆力丧失对生活质量有毁灭性的影响。因此，了解记忆的分子过程将为记忆治疗提供潜在的途径。这项提议的长期目标是了解记忆是如何在分子、细胞和神经网络层面形成、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，它的大脑相对简单，而且它服从复杂的遗传方法。我们将使用现有的最新技术和一种新的食欲长期记忆测试来研究保守的信号分子如何在已定义的神经回路中发挥作用，以编码记忆。我们预计这些研究将对人类助记治疗的策略产生重大影响。公共卫生相关性：记忆是人类生存的一个关键因素。因此，阿尔茨海默氏症或头部创伤等神经系统疾病导致的记忆力丧失严重影响生活质量。我们的工作将提供对记忆的细胞、分子和神经回路过程的基本理解，为人类的记忆治疗提供潜在的途径。

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.