Synaptic Plasticity Research Group
How does memory work at the molecular level? The plasticity of neuronal communication at the synapse is crucial for memory formation and shapes human personality and cognitive ability. In the Synaptic Plasticity Research Group (Bramham lab), we aim to elucidate the molecular control of synaptic plasticity, the role of synaptic plasticty in memory and cognition, and dysfunction of these mechanisms in brain disorders.
About the research group
Synaptic Plasticity Research Group is part of the Basic and Translational Neuroscience research unit at the Department of Biomedicine.
Publications
Selected Publications
Original Research Articles
- Eriksen, M. S., Nikolaienko, O., Hallin, E. I., Grødem, S., Bustad, H. J., Flydal, M. I., O’Connell, R., Hosokawa, T., Lascu, D., Akerkar, S., Cuéllar, J. Chambers, J.J., Muruganandam, G., Loris, R., Kanhema, T., Hayashi, Y., Stratton, M.M., Valpuesta, J.M., Kursula P., Martinez, A., and Bramham, C. R. (2019). Molecular determinants of Arc oligomerization and formation of virus-like capsids. BioRxiv, 667956. https://doi.org/10.1101/667956.
- Berentsen B, Patil S, Wibrand K, Goff KM, Pajak M, Simpson IT, and Bramham CR. (2019) microRNA-34a acutely regulates synaptic efficacy in the adult dentate gyrus in vivo. Molecular Neurobiology, Doi: 10.1007/s12035-019-01816-1
- Hallin EI, Eriksen MS, Baryshnikov S, Nikolaienko O, Grødem S, Hosokawa T, Hayashi Y, Bramham CR, Kursula P. Structure of monomeric full-length ARC sheds light on molecular flexibility, protein interactions, and functional modalities.
J Neurochem. 2018 Jul 20. doi: 10.1111/jnc.14556. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:30028513 - Nikolaienko O, Eriksen MS, Patil S, Bito H, Bramham CR (2017) Stimulus-evoked ERK-dependent phosphorylation of activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc) regulates its neuronal subcellular localization. Neuroscience 360:68–80. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.07.026.
- Myrum, C., Soulé, J., Bittins, M., Cavagnini, K., Eriksen, M.S., Goff, K., Ziemek, S., Patil, S., Szum, A., Nair, R.R. and Bramham, C.R. (2017) Arc interacts with the integral ER protein, calnexin. Frontiers Cell Neurosci. doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2017.00294.
- Myrum, C., Nikolaienko, O. Bramham, C.R. Haavik, J., Zayats, T. Implication of the APP gene in intellectual abilities. (2017) J Alz Dis. 59(2):723-735. doi: 10.3233/JAD-170049.
- Gozdz, A., Nikolaienko, O., Urbanska, M., Cymerman, I.A., Sitkiewicz, E., Dadlez, M., Bramham. C.R., and Jaworski, J (2017) GSK3α and GSK3β phosphorylate Arc and regulate its degradation. Front Mol Neurosci. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2017.00192
- Marti, A.R., Patil., S., Mrdalj, J., Meerlo, P., Skrede, S., Pallesen, S., Pedersen, T.T., Bramham, C.R., and Grønli, J. (2017) No escaping the rat race: Simulated night shift work alters the time-of-day variation in BMAL1 translational activity in the prefrontal cortex. Front Neural Circuits, 11:70. doi: 10.3389/fncir.2017.00070
- Nair RR, Patil S, Tiron A, Kanhema TW, Panja D, Schiro L, Parobczak K, Wilczynski G, Bramham CR (2017) Dynamic Arc SUMOylation and selective interaction with F-actin binding protein drebrin A in LTP consolidation in vivo. Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience (2017). doi:10.3389/fnsyn.2017.00008.
- J.L.V. Maag, D.C. Kaczorowski, D. Panja, T.J. Peters, C.R. Bramham, K. Wibrand, M.E. Dinger, Widespread promoter methylation of synaptic plasticity genes in long-term potentiation in the adult brain in vivo, BMC Genomics. 18 (2017) 250. doi:10.1186/s12864-017-3621-x
- Kuipers, S., Trentani, A., Tiron, A, Mao, X., Kuhl, D., and Bramham, C.R. (2016) BDNF-induced LTP is associated with rapid Arc-dependent enhancement in adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Scientific Reports, 2016; 6: 21222
- Maag, J.L.V., Panja,D., Sporild, I, Patil, S., Kaczorowski, D.C., *Bramham, C.R., *Dinger, M., and *Wibrand, K. (2015) Dynamic expression of long noncoding RNAs and repeat elements in synaptic plasticity. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2015 Oct 1;9:351
- Myrum C, Giddaluru S, Jacobsen K, Espeseth T, Nyberg L, Lundervold A J, Haavik J, Nilsson L, Reinvang I, Steen V M, Johansson S, Wibrand K, *Le Hellard S, and *Bramham C R. (2015) Common variants in the ARC gene are not associated with cognitive abilities. Brain and Behavior, doi: 10.1002/brb3.376.
- Myrum,C., Baumann, A., Bustad, H.J., Flydal, M.I., Mariaule,V., Alvira, S., Cuéllar, J., Soulé, J., Valpuesta J.M., Márquez, J.A., Martinez, A., and Bramham,C.R. (2015) Arc is a flexible modular protein capable of reversible self-oligomerization. Biochem J. 2015 May 15;468(1):145-58
- Panja, D., Kenney, J.W., D’Andrea, L., Zalfa, F., Vedeler, A., Wibrand, K., Fukunaga, R., Bagni, C., Proud, C.G., and Bramham, C.R. (2014). Two-stage translational control of dentate gyrus LTP consolidation is mediated by sustained BDNF-TrkB signaling to MNK. Cell Rep. 9, 1430–1445.
- Pai, B., Siripornmongcolchai, T., Berentsen, B., Pakzad, A., Vieuille, C., Pallesen, S., Pajak, M., Simpson, T.I., Armstrong, J.D., Wibrand, K., and Bramham, C.R. (2014). NMDA receptor-dependent regulation of miRNA expression and association with Argonaute during LTP in vivo. Front. Cell. Neurosci. 7, 1–15.
- Wibrand, K., Pai, B., Siripornmongcolchai, T, Bittins, M., Berentsen, B., Ofte, M.L, Weigel, A., Skaftnesmo, K.O., and Bramham C.R. (2012) MicroRNA regulation of the synaptic plasticity related gene Arc. PLoS ONE 7(7): e41688.
- Soule J, Alme MN, Myrum C, Schubert M, Kanhema T, Bramham CR (2012) Balancing Arc synthesis, mRNA decay, and proteasomal degradation: maximal protein expression triggered by REM sleep-like bursts of muscarinic cholinergic receptor stimulation. J Biological Chemistry, 287(26): 22354-66.
- Wibrand, K., Panja, D., Tiron, A., Ofte, M.L., Skaftnesmo, K. Sohn-Lee, C., Pena, J., Tuschl, T. and Bramham, C.R. (2010) Differential regulation of mature and precursor microRNA expression by NMDAR and metabotropic glutamate receptor expression activation during LTP in the dentate gyrus in vivo. Eur J Neurosci 31: 636-645.
Review Articles
- Nikolaienko O, Patil S, Eriksen MS, Bramham CR. (2018) Arc protein: a flexible hub for synaptic plasticity and cognition.Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2018 May;77:33-42. doi: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2017.09.006. Epub 2017 Sep 7. Review.PMID:28890419
- Bramham, C.R., Jensen, K, and Proud, CG. (2016) Tuning specific translation in cancer metastasis and synaptic memory: control at the MNK-eIF4E axis. Trends in Biochemistry, 41: 847-858.
- Panja, D., and Bramham, C. R. (2014). BDNF mechanisms in late LTP formation: a synthesis and breakdown. Neuropharmacology, 76: 664-676.
- Grønli, J., Soulé, J., and Bramham, C.R. (2014). Sleep and protein synthesis-dependent synaptic plasticity: impacts of sleep loss and stress. Front. Behav. Neurosci. 7, 1–18.
- Bramham CR, Alme MN, Bittins M, Kuipers SD, Nair RR, Pai B, Panja D, Schubert M, Soule J, Tiron A, Wibrand K (2010); The Arc of synaptic memory. Exp Brain Res 200:125-140.
- Bramham, C.R. (2008) Local protein synthesis, actin dynamics, and LTP consolidation. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 18: 524-531.
- Bramham, C.R. and Wells D. G. (2007) Dendritic mRNA: transport, translation, and function. Nature Rev Neurosci, 8: 776-789.
People
Group manager
Clive Bramham Professor
Group members
Tambudzai Kanhema Jakobsen PhD, Senior engineer, Lab Manager
Hongyu Zhang PhD, Senior researcher
Anna Dommarsnes Abrahamsen PhD Candidate
Aamra Mahboob PhD Candidate
Jens Gundersen Research track medical student
Edward Alexander Evjenth Research track medical student
Hauk Fevang Research track medical student
Contact
For more information, contact the group leader, Professor Clive Bramham
- Phone number
- +47 55586032
- Emails
- Clive.Bramham@uib.no