Feasibility of long-term storage of graded information by the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase molecules of the postsynaptic density.

The feasibility of long-term information storage by brain type II Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase molecules is explored. Recent evidence indicates that this protein has switch-like properties. Equations are derived showing that a single kinase holoenzyme could form a bistable switch having the stability necessary to encode long-term memory, and that a group of kinase molecules, such as that contained within the postsynaptic density, could form a device capable of storing graded information.