What is it about?
We show that fear learning strengthens the synapses that store memory. Using synapse-specific labeling in mice, we found these "memory synapses" increase in number and size after learning. Blocking protein synthesis prevented this strengthening and memory could no longer be recalled.
Featured Image
Photo by Bhautik Patel on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Memory recall depends on strengthening specific "memory synapses", not just memory cells. This is timely as the field is shifting from identifying active neurons to pinpointing the exact connections that carry memories. Our results explain the necessity of protein synthesis in memory formation at the synaptic level.
Perspectives
What we found most interesting while writing this paper was how a relatively small shift at particular synapses could translate into a large change in whether a memory was still retrievable.
ilgang hong
Institute for Basic Science
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Protein synthesis blockade prevents fear memory reactivation via inhibition of engram synapse strengthening, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, January 2026, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2510016123.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
