Crucial ‘electrical switch’ in brain revealed in study published by Science

Native structure of AMPA receptor in rodent model may lead to discovering mechanism behind conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease

By Erik Robinson April 11, 2019 Portland, Oregon

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Eric Gouaux, Ph.D. (OHSU)

Cryo-EM

Craig Yoshioka, Ph.D., research assistant professor of biomedical engineering, OHSU School of Medicine looks over a display from a cryo-EM microscope at OHSU. (OHSU/Kristyna Wentz-Graff)

AMPA receptors

A new study reveals the structure of AMPA receptors, a critical receptor in the brain associated with learning, memory, behavior and mood. This image is a representation of the most common glutamate receptor in the hippocampus region of the brain, determined using single-particle cryo-EM methods. (OHSU)

Eric Gouaux, Ph.D.

Eric Gouaux, Ph.D., investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a senior scientist in the OHSU Vollum Institute. (OHSU/Kristyna Wentz-Graff)

Cryo-EM

Michael Chapman, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in the OHSU School of Medicine, looks inside a cryo-EM microscope at OHSU. Four more of these powerful scopes will be installed on the OHSU campus, creating the Pacific Northwest Center for Cryo-EM. (OHSU/Kristyna Wentz-Graff)