PSD-95 Mutations

In studies of PSD95, Professor Seth Grant's group showed that memories are formed when neurotransmitter receptors associate with proteins.

PSD95 is a protein that binds to the inside surface of neurotransmitter receptors, and when we mutated that protein in mice, we found that the animals had impaired learning, but the receptor still acted normally. This established that neurotransmitter receptors act through the proteins associated with them to lay down the memory trace. It’s not just about the receptor, it’s about the proteins associated with it.