Electromechanically induced membrane restructuring enables learning and memory.

ABSTRACT: Human neural networks of interconnected neurons have evolved to be remarkably efficient and are capable of learning and memory through the brain's synaptic plasticity, including short-term plasticity (STP), and long-term potentiation (LTP) and depression (LTD). These activity-dependent mechanisms induce changes in synaptic efficiency over both transient and extended timescales. Understanding the molecular basis of learning and memory is central to deciphering brain function and advancing therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we report that lipid bilayers with embedded gramicidin A ion channels can structurally reorganize when interrogated using a neurologically inspired electrical stimulation protocol, adopting metastable structures with enhanced STP response and emergent LTP

SUBMITTER: Podar PT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12625889 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature