Research
Molecular and cellular and systems mechanisms of learning and memory
Appointments
- Distinguished Professor– Neurobiology, Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences and Psychology
- Director–Integrative Center for Learning and Memory
- Tennenbaum Center for the Biology of Creativity
- Brain Research Institute
- Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Physiology GPB Home Area
- Neuroscience GPB Home Area
Biography
The Silva laboratory is studying the biology of learning and memory. They are interested in the molecular, cellular and circuit processes that underlie the allocation, encoding and storage of information. To accomplish this they are using a variety of techniques including sophisticated molecular and genetic approaches, optical physiology, optogenetics, in vivo imaging and behavioral analysis.
Silva and colleagues have also studied the impact of these mechanisms in animal models of cognitive disorders, including intellectual disabilities. Based on these mechanistic studies, they have developed treatments for Neurofibromatosis type I and Tuberous Sclerosis, that are currently being tested in clinical trials.
The Silva laboratory is also developing bioinformatic strategies for tracking and planning experiments (researchmaps.org).
Publications
- Silva, AA. Recovery Latency as a Dynamic Biomarker of Adaptive Capacity. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2026; :1-10. doi: 10.1123/ijspp.2026-0111. PubMed PMID:42468922 .
- Piotrowski, SL, Li, X, Fitzpatrick, CE, Tucker, A, Lee, A, Leibovitch, E et al.. Callitrichine herpesvirus 3 in the common marmoset is a model of Epstein-Barr virus infection and associated lymphoma. PLoS Pathog. 2026;22 (7):e1014450. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1014450. PubMed PMID:42467720 .
- Martinez, E, Bordeaux, B, Langevin, S, Herrera, C, Smith, M, Doyle, M et al.. Empowering Caregivers, Protecting Patients: An Ambulatory Central Line Quality Improvement Initiative for Education and Follow-up. Pediatr Qual Saf. 2026;11 (4):e885. doi: 10.1097/pq9.0000000000000885. PubMed PMID:42466159 PubMed Central PMC13375075.
- Spor, LM, Liau, EM, Sanchis-Juan, A, Silva, AN, Cheng, H, Naseri, T et al.. Structural Variant Imputation in Samoans Using a Population-Specific Reference Panel. medRxiv. 2026; :. doi: 10.64898/2026.07.07.26357461. PubMed PMID:42465920 PubMed Central PMC13370485.
- Shtanko, O, Gunturu, T, Gopal, A, Djurkovic-Lopez, M, Nguyen, H, Jayakumar, S et al.. Ebola virus exploits host lncRNA LINC01740 to enhance ATF3 and suppress antiviral immune responses. bioRxiv. 2026; :. doi: 10.64898/2026.07.06.731958. PubMed PMID:42465462 PubMed Central PMC13370357.