Synaptic Plasticity

The brain recalls immediate events via short-term memory. However, it must consolidate these events into long-term memory for later recall. Memory consolidation requires synaptic plasticity characterized by physical changes to, and gene expression changes in, neuronal synapses. Synaptic plasticity studies have discovered immediate-early genes (IEGs) that alter expression immediately after neuronal events. IEGs mediate long-term potentiation (LTP), a process that enhances synaptic connections and consolidates memories. However, as not all events become long-term memories, the opposite synaptic remodeling response, long-term depression (LTD), also plays a central role in synaptic plasticity. Gene expression changes associated with LTP and LTD yield physical changes in the neuronal synapse that either enhance or inhibit synaptic connections. In addition, many essential neuronal receptors are expressed in the postsynaptic density, a specialized segment of the neuronal membrane that is central to learning and memory processes.

QIAGEN provides a broad range of assay technologies for synaptic plasticity research that enables analysis of gene expression and regulation, epigenetic modification, genotyping, and signal transduction pathway activation. Solutions optimized for synaptic plasticity studies include PCR array, miRNA, siRNA, mutation analysis, pathway reporter, chromatin IP, DNA methylation, and protein expression products.