New paper on long-term memory storage published in eLife

Congratulations to Katie, Candace and Takeshi, who have published a new paper in eLife. 

Building on a hypothesis first proposed by Francis Crick in 1984, the research addresses how the brain retains memories despite the continuous turnover of proteins. Crick theorised that specialised proteins could bind in pairs, allowing one to be replaced while the other stabilises the connection, preserving memories over time.

The research team led by Professor Seth Grant and Professor Mathew Horrocks tested this hypothesis, focusing on a protein essential for learning and memory called PSD95. Using advanced forms of microscopy and genetic techniques that enables visualisation of protein pairs isolated from the mouse brain, they confirmed Crick's theory. 

They also discovered that the protein exchange occurs slowest in those areas of the brain responsible for long-term memory.

Professor Horrocks commented, "It was exciting to directly visualise synaptic building blocks at nanometre resolution and generate data supporting Crick’s 40-year-old hypothesis."

Professor Grant added, "Understanding how long-term memories are maintained remains one of neuroscience’s greatest challenges, and these findings open new avenues of research."

This discovery provides crucial insight into memory stabilisation, potentially leading to new therapeutic approaches for memory retention and treatment of memory loss.