ELSC Seminar Series

In the central nervous system (CNS), excitatory glutamatergic synapses control neurotransmission mediated by ion flow through α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors (AMPARs). Regulating the exo- and endocytosis of AMPAR is a critical aspect of synaptic plasticity, influencing long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) at excitatory synapses. Consequently, it is now recognized that AMPARs are crucial for many aspects of brain function, including learning and memory and abnormal AMPAR transmission has been implicated in cognitive impairment. Pharmacological and molecular manipulations can enhance cognitive function in mice demonstrating that improved synaptic function, including some forms of synaptic plasticity, plays a critical role in cognitive enhancement. Indeed, there is evidence that boosting AMPAR activity may be an efficient approach to modulate synapses that undergo experience-dependent changes to enhance cognition. I will describe our work on the interaction between AMPAR function and cognitive enhancement and a method we developed to rapidly screen for drugs and conditions that alter AMPAR expression and function in physiologically relevant contexts. We expect that employing this screening assay will accelerate both neuroscience research and drug discovery.