Charles Y. Shao is Clinical Associate Professor in the department of Pathology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, United States of America.

I am interested in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, especially Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) the most common form of memory disorders. Accumulating evidence has indicated that synaptic plasticity such as long-term potentiation (LTP) that underlines learning and memory is impaired in AD. I currently focus on an unique molecule called PKMzeta that plays a critical role in LTP maintenance and memory function in living animals. I have found that PKMzeta associates with a variety of AD pathology that mark changes of postsynaptic structures such as Hirano bodies (dendritic spines), perisomatic granules (AMPA receptors) and granulovacular degeneration. I postulate that PKMzeta regulate these structures during memory formation and their aggregation during AD lead to memory loss. Using primary cultures of hippocampal neurons, I demonstrate that PKMzeta indeed positively regulates synaptic structures and AMPA receptors. Further studies will explore what alters PKMzeta in neurons and how PKMzeta may play a role in combating AD.