Notable Accomplishments
- Physician and Neuroscientist
- Advocate for Stem Cell Research
Mnemonic Plasticity To Memory
"Memory must involve the alteration of neuronal function and therefore requires plasticity, a change in state with experience. Moreover, mnemonic plasticity is characterized by (a) codification within the neuron, (b) short onset, (c) long-lasting effects, (d) specificity, (e) a high degree of precision, (f) enhanced effects with repetition, and (g) alteration of neuronal function. Further mechanisms must allow for decay, or the phenomena of forgetting... In fact, neurotransmitter functions, the agents of synaptic communication, undergo relatively long-term changes in response to brief experimental stimuli, and most definitely alter behavior. Transmitters and associated regulatory molecules encode, store, and express environmental information in a highly precise manner, thereby exhibiting mnemonic characteristics. Transmitter metabolism and even phenotypic expression are altered by discrete environmental stimuli. Relatively brief environmental events evoke long-lasting alterations in transmitter function, providing the temporal amplification that is central to mnemonic phenomena (Black 1984). Transmitter metabolism and physiologic effects are precisely governed by specific regulatory molecules, many of which respond to environmental stimuli in a pattern characteristic of memory." - Ira B. Black
Neurotransmission - Regulatory Biology With A Unicellular Prehistory
"Neurotransmission is part of the larger process of information flow and the alteration of function in biological systems. To survive, all cells presumably must be capable of information reception, processing, storage, and communication. These faculties are required for unicellular life as well as life of complex metazoa. Can we gain additional insights by attempting to place neural function in the broader context of biological regulation? More specifically, can we identify effector molecules and symbols in nonneural cells? By examining simple forms, the essential features of molecular transduction may be grasped, devoid of the confounding complexities of higher nervous systems."
Ira B. Black (1994)
Publications
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