Grant: Operating Grant

The ability of animals to adapt to their ever-changing environments depends in large part on their ability to learn and remember. Our research is centered on the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying learning and memory. Using state-of-the-art recordings we are able to measure the electrical activity simultaneously from two neurons which are being modified in response to electrical signals that simulate learning. This neuronal modification in response to electrical activity is called synaptic plasticity. This grant is focused on understanding how synapses that use the brain chemical GABA are modified during synaptic plasticity. In particular we are trying to understand the role of a key neuronal protein in this process. The protein we are interested in is called KCC2; the function of this protein is to maintain electrical gradients across the neuronal membrane. KCC2 is essential for survival, as the absence of this protein at birth results in death due to respiratory failure. Currently there are no known treatments for restoring KCC2 expression. Our goal is to discover the mechanisms that regulate KCC2 so that we can develop prevention strategies and therapeutic treatments for those disorders associated with KCC2 dysfunction. These discoveries will transform the treatments available for neurological disorders associate with the loss of this protein including neuropathic pain, stroke, and epileptic seizures.