Dr. Shernaz Bamji and her lab have identified an important molecular change that occurs in the brain when we learn and remember.
Published in Nature Neuroscience, the research shows that learning stimulates our brain cells in a manner that causes a small fatty acid to attach to delta-catenin, a protein in the brain. This biochemical modification is essential in producing the changes in brain cell connectivity associated with learning, the study finds.
G Stefano Brigidi et al., 2014. Palmitoylation of δ-catenin by DHHC5 mediates activity-induced synapse plasticity. Nature Neuroscience DOI: 10.1038/nn.3657.
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