Molecular mechanisms of memory formation

The Peters Lab explores the mechanisms of how memories are formed. We study how the connections between neurons are strengthened, a process called long-term potentiation (LTP). LTP is mediated by an increase in the number of AMPA receptors (a type of neurotransmitter receptor) located at the synapse. Delivering AMPA receptors involves a complex molecular machine made up of several proteins. The Peters Lab aims to determine the arrangement of proteins within this molecular machine and describe how the machinery is regulated. The lab uses single-particle cryo-electron microscopy, computational structural biology, an in vitro fusion assay, and cell imaging approaches to address this question. A better understanding of LTP will help us understand how people learn and why LTP breaks down in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Students in the lab gain experience in molecular cloning, protein purification, introductory computational structural biology, and confocal and electron microscopy.