Todd C. Sacktor

Todd C. Sacktor is a Distinguished Professor at SUNY Downstate Medical Center with appointments in the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Neurology, and Anesthesiology. His groundbreaking research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of memory storage, particularly the role of protein kinase Mzeta (PKMζ) in long-term memory persistence.

• Harvard College (A.B., 1978)
• Albert Einstein College of Medicine (M.D., 1982)
• Columbia University (Neurology Residency)
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute (Fellowship)

Sacktor's research centers on the molecular basis of memory, with his laboratory discovering PKMζ, a brain-specific protein kinase C isoform that serves as the first identified component of the core mechanism for long-term memory storage. His work has demonstrated that PKMζ is both necessary and sufficient for maintaining long-term potentiation and storing long-term memory traces, leading to methods for erasing or enhancing specific memories. His recent research reveals PKMζ's interaction with KIBRA, a postsynaptic scaffolding protein, in maintaining long-term memory. His work has significant implications for understanding Alzheimer's disease, as PKMζ is sequestered in neurofibrillary tangles found in Alzheimer's patients' brains.

His publication record shows consistent high-impact research, with recent articles focusing on the KIBRA-PKMζ interaction, memory erasure mechanisms, and the evolutionary perspective of memory maintenance. His work spans molecular neuroscience, cellular mechanisms, and behavioral implications, consistently advancing our understanding of memory persistence at multiple levels of analysis.

• Breakthrough of the Year 2006 (Science)

Sacktor has served as a grant reviewer for the NIH Learning and Memory Study Section, the Hartford Foundation, and Veterans Affairs. His laboratory personnel include Research Assistant Professors Panayiotis Tsokas and Changchi Hsieh, along with technician Andrew Tcherepanov. His research has been continuously funded, supporting investigations into the fundamental mechanisms of memory storage with potential clinical applications for memory disorders.

Sacktor leads a research team investigating the molecular mechanisms of memory persistence, with particular focus on the PKMζ-KIBRA interaction. His laboratory continues to explore how these molecular mechanisms might be harnessed for therapeutic interventions in memory-related disorders, including Alzheimer's disease and other conditions involving memory impairment.