Neurobiologist Eric Kandel shared the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for “discoveries concerning signal transduction in the nervous system.” Dr. Kandel studies how neurons in organisms such as sea slugs alter their responsiveness to chemical signals to produce a coordinated change in behavior — work that ties into learning and memory. In this segment, Ira Flatow talks with Dr Kandel about his work and interests.

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How does memory happen?  At the molecular level …

• short term memory is functional, recorded biochemically
• long term memory is anatomical, new synapses are grown when the memory becomes long term
• how?  genes in the nucleus are turned on, the produce more genes that produce proteins that grow synapses

Kandel also talks about why neurons are more sensitive to oxygen starvation.  Compared to other cells, the cell body of a neuron (which houses the nutritional engine that creates the energy for the cell) is very small compared to its gigantic extensions (axioms and dentrites, which can extend the length of our spine) and thus a neuron is much more vulnerable than other cells to insult to that energy producing engine.

But still a lot left to discover about memory.  What is the frontier now?

• How is it recorded?
• Psychiatric disorders most all involve memory.  Not just alzheimers, but also schizophrenia, depression (at storage problem), PTSD (too much memory, store too well).

Psychiatric illness is a major area of need.  Kandel emphasizes that the meds for schizophrenia haven’t improved since 1960, nor the SSRI meds for depression, since 1980.  And while the SSRIs are effective for certain types of depression, they are not useful for others. We still don’t understand the biological basis, the anatomy nor the genes, involved in mental illness.

And then a lot of anecdotal, reminiscing …  and a very charming laugh.