title: Structural, Synaptic, and Epigenetic Dynamics of Enduring Memories.
abstract: Our memories are the records of the experiences we gain in our everyday life. Over time, they slowly transform from an initially unstable state into a long-lasting form. Many studies have been investigating from different aspects how a memory could persist for sometimes up to decades. In this review, we highlight three of the greatly addressed mechanisms that play a central role for a given memory to endure: the allocation of the memory to a given neuronal population and what brain areas are recruited for its storage; the structural changes that underlie memory persistence; and finally the epigenetic control of gene expression that might regulate and support memory perseverance. Examining such key properties of a memory is essential towards a finer understanding of its capacity to last.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neuroepigenetics, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ossama
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Khalaf
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neuroepigenetics, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gräff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D049229:Dendritic Spines / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D013569:Synapses / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*