ENP student Mariana Ramos-Brossier investigates IL-1 receptor accessory protein like 1 (IL1RAPL1) and its role in synaptic functions. She contributed to a recent publication on this protein and its link to associative memory in intellectual disorders. She and her colleagues found that mice lacking IL1RAPL1 had imbalanced inhibitory to excitatory neural subcircuits in the amygdala linked to behavioral deficits. They also observed altered function from thalamic projections onto principal cells but not onto interneurons. For more details on this finding, check out the article:

 Houbaert X, Zhang CL, Gambino F, Lepleux M, Deshors M, Normand E, Levet F, Ramos M, Billuart P, Chelly J, Herzog E, Humeau Y. Target-specific vulnerability of excitatory synapses leads to deficits in associative memory in a model of intellectual disorder. J Neurosci. 21 August 2013. 33(34): 13805-19.

Key words: IL-1 receptor accessory protein like 1 Associative memory Intellectual disorders Excitatory synapses

Figure 1B2 from Houabert et al., J Neuro, 2013. Deficits in recall to learned conditioned stimuli seen in ilrapl1 knockout mice relative to wild-type.