Shedding light on the role of RNA binding protein-mediated RNA regulation in synaptic plasticity and aging
The aging brain progressively loses its ability to adapt to new stimuli. This decline in plasticity manifests as striking impairments in cognitive abilities. Although aging disrupts functionality in many areas of the brain, the hippocampus is particularly susceptible to age-related decline in functions normally ascribed to this area, such as learning and memory. Our current understanding of the mechanisms underlying learning and memory coalesce around the concept of protein-synthesis dependent synaptic plasticity. This model has driven molecular neuroscientists to search for factors that localize and regulate synaptic RNAs, such as RNA binding proteins (RBPs). My research aims to characterize RBP-mediated RNA regulation in functioning neurons of the mouse hippocampus to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying age-associated cognitive impairments and develop more effective strategies to improve the quality of life for both normal aging and pathological aging seen in neurodegenerative diseases.
