**Speaker: Raphael Lamprecht （Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel）

**Time: 2013.5.14    9:30-11:00am.

**Venue:Research Building, Room 502

**Host by: Prof. Xiaoming Li

**Brief Introduction:

Long-term memory (LTM) formation is believed to involve alterations of synaptic efficacy resulting from modifications in neural transmission and/or structural changes in synaptic connectivity within neuronal networks. Ephrin ligands and their cognate Eph receptors are key proteins involved in the regulation of synaptic transmission and morphology during development and in adult brain. We are engaged in a series of studies focused on the roles of Eph receptors in fear conditioning memory formation using genetic and pharmacological approaches. Our results show that EphrinA and Eph receptors are essential for long-term fear memory formation in lateral amygdala. Eph receptors may exert their effects on synaptic functions by regulating the actin cytoskeleton that mediates cellular events underlying changes in synaptic efficacy, such as synaptic transmission and morphology. Our findings show that the actin cytoskeleton and its regulatory proteins are essential for long-term fear memory formation in lateral amygdala. In particular proteins that regulate actin polymerization such as synaptic profilin, involved in spine morphogenesis, and proteins in the Rho GTPase pathway are needed for long-term fear memory formation in amygdala. Our findings provide evidence that Eph receptors and actin cytoskeleton, proteins that play a key role in the regulation of synaptic morphology and transmission, are essential for memory formation in lateral amygdala.