Roles of CaMKII in Learning and Memory

Abstract

There is abundant evidence showing that Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) plays critical roles in synaptic plasticity underlying learning and memory. This chapter reviews the fundamental biochemical properties of CaMKII that make it ideally suited to function as a memory molecule. However, despite the identification of numerous synaptic CaMKII substrates over the last 30years, the molecular mechanisms that allow CaMKII to precisely modulate excitatory synaptic transmission and play key roles in synaptic plasticity remain unclear. The molecular basis for targeting CaMKII to excitatory synapses and the putative functional impact of this targeting are discussed.