"Deconstructing and reconstructing a synapse"

Dr. Nicoll is interested in elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying learning and memory in the mammalian brain. Long-term potentiation (LTP), a phenomenon in which brief repetitive activity causes a long lasting (many weeks) enhancement in the strength of synaptic transmission, is generally accepted to be a key cellular substrate for learning and memory. His lab uses a combination of electrophysiological and molecular techniques to elucidate the molecular basis of LTP.