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
- Carvalho, RL, da Silva, ADCT, Ventura, BML, Godoy, SAM, Nguema, OGAA, Fietto, JLR et al.. Synthesis and Antileishmanial Evaluation of N-Phenyl-2-phenoxyacetamides Derived from Carvacrol. ACS Omega. 2025;10 (17):17565-17575. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.4c11359. PubMed PMID:40352559 PubMed Central PMC12059944.
- Moura, DMN, Soares, AL, da Silva, A, Ribeiro, JLAB, Sunter, JD, Assis, LA et al.. Distinct modes of interaction within eIF4F-like complexes and susceptibility to the RocA inhibitor for the Trypanosoma brucei EIF4AI translation initiation factor. PLoS One. 2025;20 (5):e0322812. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0322812. PubMed PMID:40343969 PubMed Central PMC12063893.
- Silva, AB, Liu, JR, Anderson, VR, Kurtz-Miott, CM, Hallinan, IP, Littlejohn, KT et al.. Implications of shared motor and perceptual activations on the sensorimotor cortex for neuroprosthetic decoding. medRxiv. 2025; :. doi: 10.1101/2025.04.24.25326368. PubMed PMID:40343020 PubMed Central PMC12060956.
- Sánchez, SV, Otavalo, GN, Gazeau, F, Silva, AKA, Morales, JO. Erratum to "Intranasal delivery of extracellular vesicles: A promising new approach for treating neurological and respiratory disorders" [Journal of Controlled Release, Volume 379, 10 March 2025, Pages 489-523, 13427]. J Control Release. 2025;383 :113800. doi: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2025.113800. PubMed PMID:40339510 .
- da Silva, AV, Lopes, EM, Costa, DS, Dos Santos, GG, Farias, CFS, Dos Santos, PC et al.. Dietary supplementation with açai (Euterpe oleracea) improved the haemato-immunological parameters and growth performance of koi carp (Cyprinus Carpio Linnaeus, 1758). Vet Res Commun. 2025;49 (4):193. doi: 10.1007/s11259-025-10763-3. PubMed PMID:40338409 .