Nobel winner's talk focuses on memory
A Nobel laureate in medicine/physiology gave the May 10 Baxter Lecture. Eric Kandel, MD, of Columbia University, shared the prize in 2000 for his findings on how changes in synapses are critical for memory in sea slugs, pointing out differences between the molecular processes of short-term and long-term memory.
Kandel updated a standing-room-only audience at Fairchild Auditorium on his recent work on the differences between the two types of memory. He suggested that prions—mysterious proteins that flip between two shapes—may play a role in helping nerve cells store memories.
Although prions are known for their role in mad cow disease, Kandel said his research offers "the first evidence that prions can have a positive adaptive function in a cell."