Synaptic Plasticity Research Group
How does memory work at the molecular level? The plasticity of neuronal communication at the synapse is crucial for memory formation and shapes human personality and cognitive ability. In the Synaptic Plasticity Research Group (Bramham lab), we aim to elucidate the molecular control of synaptic plasticity, the role of synaptic plasticty in memory and cognition, and dysfunction of these mechanisms in brain disorders.
Affiliation
About the research group
Synaptic Plasticity Research Group is part of the at the Department of Biomedicine.
Publications
Selected Publications
Original Research Articles
- Kanhema, T., Parrock, K., Patil, S., Holm-Kaczmarek, D., Hallin, E., Ludwiczak, J., Szczepankiewicz, A.A., Pauzin, F.P., Mahboob, A., Szum, A., Ishizuka, Y., Dunin-Horkawicz, S., Kursula, P., Wilczynski, G., *Magalska, A., and *Bramham, C.R. (2025) ARC/ARG3.1 binds the nuclear polyadenylate-binding protein RRM and regulates neuronal activity-dependent formation of nuclear speckles. Cell Reports, 44, 115525. .
- Gumińska, N., Pauzin, F.P., Kuźniewska, B., Miłek, J., Wardaszka, P., Krawczyk, P.S., Mroczek, S., Jeleń, S., Pagenhart, P.U., *Bramham, C.R., *Dziembowski, A., *Dziembowska, M. (2025) The polyadenylation landscape after in vivo long-term potentiation in the rat brain. RNA. doi:10.1261/rna.080485.125RNA 2025. rna.080485.125
- Kute, P.M., Pauzin, F.P., Labun, K., *Bramham, C.R., and *Valen, E. (2025)
Transcriptome-wide mapping of small ribosomal subunits elucidates scanning mechanisms of translation initiation in the mammalian brain. Communications Biology, 8:1399; doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-08804-3 - Baldinotti, R., Pauzin, F. P., Fevang, H., Ishizuka, Y., and Bramham, C. R. (2025). A nanobody-based proximity ligation assay detects constitutive and stimulus-regulated native Arc/Arg3.1 oligomers in hippocampal neuronal dendrites. Molecular Neurobiology, 62 (4):3973-3990.
- Potenza, M.L., Blankvoort, S., Carvalho, M.M., Grimstvedt, J.S., Di Maria, V., Moan, K., Nair, R.R., Flatset, M.S., Zhang, Q., Thomas, L.F., Pauzin, F.P., Da Silva Mazzarini Baldinotti, R., Quattrocolo, G., Bramham, C.R., Sætrom, P., Witter, M.P., and Kentros, C.G. (2024) Generation of an enhancer-driven gene expression viral tool specific to dentate granule cell-types through direct hippocampal injection. Front. Neurosci., 18:1274174. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1274174
- Godoy Muñoz, J.M., Neset, L., Markússon, S., Weber, S., Krokengen, O.C., Sutinen, A., Christakou, E., Lopez, A.J., Zhang, H., Bramham, C.R., & Kursula, P. (2024) Structural characterization of two nanobodies targeting the ligand-binding pocket of human Arc. PLoS One, 19, e0300453.
- Patil, S., Chalkiadaki, K., Mergiya, T.F, Krimbacher, K., Amorim, I.S., Akerkar, S., Gkogkas, C.G., and Bramham, C.R. eIF4E phosphorylation recruits β-catenin to mRNA cap and promotes Wnt pathway translation in dentate gyrus LTP maintenance (2023) iScience, 26(5), 106649.
- Mergiya, T.F., Gundersen, J.E.T., Kanhema, T., Brighter, G., Ishizuka, Y., and Bramham, C.R. (2023) Detection of Arc/Arg3.1 oligomers in rat brain: constitutive and synaptic activity-evoked dimer expression in vivo. Front. Mol. Neurosci. Vol 16, doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1142361
- Avallone. M., Pardo, J., Mergiya, T.F., Rajova, J. Räsänen, A., Davidsson, M., Åkerblom, M., Quintino, L., Kumar, D., Bramham, C.R., and Björklund, T. (2023) Visualizing Arc protein dynamics and localization in the mammalian brain using adeno-associated virus-mediated in situ gene labeling. Front. Mol. Neurosci. Vol 16, doi:10.3389/fnmol.2023.1140785.
- Ishizuka, Y., Mergiya, T.F. Baldinotti, R., Xu, J., Hallin, E.I., Markússon, S., Kursula, P., and Bramham, C.R. (2022). Development and Validation of Arc Nanobodies: New Tools for Probing Arc Dynamics and Function. Neurochem Res 47, 2656–2666 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-022-03573-5.
- Markússon, S, Hallin, E.I., Bustad, H.J., Raasakka, A., Xu, J., Muruganandam, G., Loris, R., Martinez, A., Bramham, C.R. and Kursula, P. (2022). High-affinity anti-Arc nanobodies provide tools for structural and functional studies. PLoS ONE 17(6): e0269281. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0269281
- Berentsen, B., Patil, S., Rønnestad, K., Goff, K. M., Pajak, M., Simpson, T. I., Wibrand, K., & Bramham, C. R. (2020). MicroRNA-34a acutely regulates synaptic efficacy in the adult dentate gyrus in vivo. Molecular Neurobiology, 57(3), 1432–1445. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-019-01816-1
- Ishizuka, Y. and Bramham, C.R. A simple DMSO-based method for cryopreservation of primary hippocampal and cortical neurons. (2020) J. Neuroscience Methods, 333 108678. 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2019.108578.
- Eriksen, M. S., Nikolaienko, O., Hallin, E. I., Grødem, S., Bustad, H. J., Flydal, M. I., O’Connell, R., Hosokawa, T., Lascu, D., Akerkar, S., Cuéllar, J. Chambers, J.J., Muruganandam, G., Loris, R., Kanhema, T., Hayashi, Y., Stratton, M.M., Valpuesta, J.M., Kursula P., Martinez, A., and Bramham, C. R. (2019). Molecular determinants of Arc oligomerization and formation of virus-like capsids. BioRxiv, 667956. .
- Berentsen B, Patil S, Wibrand K, Goff KM, Pajak M, Simpson IT, and Bramham CR. (2019) microRNA-34a acutely regulates synaptic efficacy in the adult dentate gyrus in vivo. Molecular Neurobiology, Doi: 10.1007/s12035-019-01816-1
- Hallin EI, Eriksen MS, Baryshnikov S, Nikolaienko O, Grødem S, Hosokawa T, Hayashi Y, Bramham CR, Kursula P.
J Neurochem. 2018 Jul 20. doi: 10.1111/jnc.14556. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:30028513 - Nikolaienko O, Eriksen MS, Patil S, Bito H, Bramham CR (2017) . Neuroscience 360:68–80. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.07.026.
- Myrum, C., Soulé, J., Bittins, M., Cavagnini, K., Eriksen, M.S., Goff, K., Ziemek, S., Patil, S., Szum, A., Nair, R.R. and Bramham, C.R. (2017) . Frontiers Cell Neurosci. doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2017.00294.
- Myrum, C., Nikolaienko, O. Bramham, C.R. Haavik, J., Zayats, T. . (2017) J Alz Dis. 59(2):723-735. doi: 10.3233/JAD-170049.
- Gozdz, A., Nikolaienko, O., Urbanska, M., Cymerman, I.A., Sitkiewicz, E., Dadlez, M., Bramham. C.R., and Jaworski, J (2017) . Front Mol Neurosci. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2017.00192
- Marti, A.R., Patil., S., Mrdalj, J., Meerlo, P., Skrede, S., Pallesen, S., Pedersen, T.T., Bramham, C.R., and Grønli, J. (2017) . Front Neural Circuits, 11:70. doi: 10.3389/fncir.2017.00070
- Nair RR, Patil S, Tiron A, Kanhema TW, Panja D, Schiro L, Parobczak K, Wilczynski G, Bramham CR (2017) . Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience (2017). doi:10.3389/fnsyn.2017.00008.
- J.L.V. Maag, D.C. Kaczorowski, D. Panja, T.J. Peters, C.R. Bramham, K. Wibrand, M.E. Dinger, , BMC Genomics. 18 (2017) 250. doi:10.1186/s12864-017-3621-x
- Kuipers, S., Trentani, A., Tiron, A, Mao, X., Kuhl, D., and Bramham, C.R. (2016) . Scientific Reports, 2016; 6: 21222
- Maag, J.L.V., Panja,D., Sporild, I, Patil, S., Kaczorowski, D.C., *Bramham, C.R., *Dinger, M., and *Wibrand, K. (2015) . Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2015 Oct 1;9:351
- Myrum C, Giddaluru S, Jacobsen K, Espeseth T, Nyberg L, Lundervold A J, Haavik J, Nilsson L, Reinvang I, Steen V M, Johansson S, Wibrand K, *Le Hellard S, and *Bramham C R. (2015) . Brain and Behavior, doi: 10.1002/brb3.376.
- Myrum,C., Baumann, A., Bustad, H.J., Flydal, M.I., Mariaule,V., Alvira, S., Cuéllar, J., Soulé, J., Valpuesta J.M., Márquez, J.A., Martinez, A., and Bramham,C.R. (2015) . Biochem J. 2015 May 15;468(1):145-58
- Panja, D., Kenney, J.W., D’Andrea, L., Zalfa, F., Vedeler, A., Wibrand, K., Fukunaga, R., Bagni, C., Proud, C.G., and Bramham, C.R. (2014). . Cell Rep. 9, 1430–1445.
- Pai, B., Siripornmongcolchai, T., Berentsen, B., Pakzad, A., Vieuille, C., Pallesen, S., Pajak, M., Simpson, T.I., Armstrong, J.D., Wibrand, K., and Bramham, C.R. (2014). . Front. Cell. Neurosci. 7, 1–15.
- Wibrand, K., Pai, B., Siripornmongcolchai, T, Bittins, M., Berentsen, B., Ofte, M.L, Weigel, A., Skaftnesmo, K.O., and Bramham C.R. (2012) . PLoS ONE 7(7): e41688.
- Soule J, Alme MN, Myrum C, Schubert M, Kanhema T, Bramham CR (2012) . J Biological Chemistry, 287(26): 22354-66.
- Wibrand, K., Panja, D., Tiron, A., Ofte, M.L., Skaftnesmo, K. Sohn-Lee, C., Pena, J., Tuschl, T. and Bramham, C.R. (2010) . Eur J Neurosci 31: 636-645.
Review Articles
- Eriksen M.S. and Bramham C.R. (2022) Molecular physiology of Arc/Arg3.1: The oligomeric state hypothesis of synaptic plasticity. Acta Physiologica, e13886. https://doi.org/10.1111/apha.13886
- Chalkiadaki, K., Kouloulia, S., Bramham, C.R., and Gkogkas, C (2020) Regulation of protein synthesis by eIF4E in the brain. In The Oxford Handbook of Neuronal Protein Synthesis pp 1–22. 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190686307.013.12
- Zhang, H. and Bramham, C.R. (2020) Bidirectional dysregulation of AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission and plasticity in brain disorders. Front Synaptic Neurosci. 10.3389/fnsyn.2020.00026.
- Nikolaienko O, Patil S, Eriksen MS, Bramham CR. (2018) Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2018 May;77:33-42. doi: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2017.09.006. Epub 2017 Sep 7. Review.PMID:28890419
- Bramham, C.R., Jensen, K, and Proud, CG. (2016). Trends in Biochemistry, 41: 847-858.
- Panja, D., and Bramham, C. R. (2014). . Neuropharmacology, 76: 664-676.
- Grønli, J., Soulé, J., and Bramham, C.R. (2014). . Front. Behav. Neurosci. 7, 1–18.
- Bramham CR, Alme MN, Bittins M, Kuipers SD, Nair RR, Pai B, Panja D, Schubert M, Soule J, Tiron A, Wibrand K (2010);. Exp Brain Res 200:125-140.
- Bramham, C.R. (2008). Curr Opin Neurobiol. 18: 524-531.
- Bramham, C.R. and Wells D. G. (2007) . Nature Rev Neurosci, 8: 776-789.
People
Group manager
Clive Bramham Professor
Group members
Tambudzai Kanhema Jakobsen PhD, Senior engineer, Lab Manager
Hongyu Zhang PhD, Senior researcher
Anna Dommarsnes Abrahamsen PhD Candidate
Aamra Mahboob PhD Candidate
Jens Edvard Trygstad Gundersen PhD Candidate
Edward Alexander Evjenth Research track medical student
Hauk Fevang Research track medical student
Contact
For more information, contact the group leader, Professor Clive Bramham
- Phone number
- +47 55586032
- Emails
- Clive.Bramham@uib.no