A new study from the Sakurai Group has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).
Although “synaptic facilitation,” a phenomenon in which synaptic transmission is instantly strengthened when neural activity occurs in succession, has long been known, its underlying mechanism and significance have remained unclear. This study discovered that it is caused by intramolecular interactions within a protein called synaptotagmin‑7.
Theoretical studies had predicted that synaptic facilitation serves as one of the foundations for forming immediate memories, such as working memory. In this research, the team experimentally demonstrated that the action of synaptotagmin‑7, which is essential for synaptic facilitation, also plays an important role in memory.
Furthermore, synaptotagmin‑7 has been suggested to be involved in bipolar disorder, and patients with this condition often exhibit abnormalities in working memory. Therefore, the molecular mechanism revealed in this study is expected to contribute to future therapeutic strategies.
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Press Release : https://www.nict.go.jp/en/press/2026/09/24-1.html
PNAS : https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2528214123
