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Krasnow Institute > Monday Seminars > Abstracts Signal Transduction and Transformation in Neuronal Networks Carlos Collin A central problem in contemporary neurobiology is the understanding of the cellular and molecular basis of memory storage in the brain. During learning information is stored in a neuronal network after patterned activation of synaptic components, causes biochemical and eventually, structural long-lasting transformations that change the function and connectivity of the network. A new experimental approach will be presented that analyzes synaptic plasticity as an associative process, involving not only the modulation of excitatory neurotransmission, but also the transformation of inhibitory into excitatory neurotransmission. The relevance of such a model to memory function was tested by evaluating the effects in-vitro of a drug known to cause cognitive effects in-vivo, the endogenous ligand of the cannabinoid receptor, anandamide. Activation of the endogenous cannabinoid receptor by anandamide will be also shown to modulate intracellular calcium signalling and the development and differentiation of dendritic spines of pyramidal neurons grown in organotypic cultures.
The Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study |
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