Mechanisms of Memory

Many who work on the cellular and molecular processes of learning and memory are tempted to throw up their hands in frustration and conclude that the problem is insoluble. Human learning and memory is likely the most highly evolved and sophisticated biological process in existence. This book represents the first step at beginning to put together the complex puzzle of the molecular basis of memory. Sweatt creates a framework of thinking about synaptic plasticity and memory at the molecular level, one which recognizes and begins to incorporate this extreme biochemical complexity into our thinking about memory. Now in its second edition this is currently the only book on the market that takes this approach.

All chapters are fully revised, and four new chapters have been added. The book is adaptable for courses for senior level undergraduates and, first and second year graduate students. It will be of use to students interested in the medical professions and graduate students interested in translational aspects of basic memory research at a time when translational research is becoming a priority area for research funding agencies in the US and internationally.

• More than 25% new content, particularly expanding the scope to include new findings in translational research.


• Unique in its depth of coverage of molecular and cellular mechanisms


• Extensive cross-referencing to Comprehensive Learning and Memory


• Discusses clinically relevant memory disorders in the context of modern molecular research and includes numerous practical examples