An investigator carrying out research on the basic cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity and memory storage has won the Eppendorf and Science Prize for Neurobiology 2008.
Dr Mauro Costa-Mattioli's research has revealed the importance of translational control in the formation of long-lasting memories, which could help develop treatments for major brain disorders including impaired memory function in aging people and neurodegenerative diseases.
Dr Costa-Mattioli's studies, performed at McGill University, Canada and continued at Baylor College of Medicine, US, demonstrate that phosphorylation of the translation initiation factor eIF2a may be a type of molecular switch that contributes to enduring long-lasting memories.
In mice in which eIF2a phosphorylation is reduced, long-lasting synaptic changes and memory are enhanced.
In contrast, increased eIF2a phosphorylation in the hippocampus has opposite, depressant effects on long-lasting synaptic changes and memory.
Dr Costa-Mattioli recently joined the Department of Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
Here, his team are applying approaches such as transgenic manipulation; shRNA and miRNA delivery using lentiviral vectors; and molecular, biochemical, behavioural and neurophysiological methodologies to study activity-dependent changes in synaptic strength, learning and memory and cognitive disorders associated with memory loss.
The USD25,000 prize is open to scientists of 35 years of age or younger that have used molecular and cell biology methods to make outstanding contributions to neurobiological research.
A committee of distinguished scientists chaired by Dr Donald Kennedy, editor-in-chief of Science magazine, chose the winner.
The presentation took place on 16 November at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) headquarters in Washington DC.
The next deadline for applications for the Eppendorf and Science Prize for Neurobiology is 15 June 2009.
