André A. Fenton

André A. Fenton (born 1967) is a Guyanese-Canadian-American neuroscientist who is a Professor of Neural Science at New York University. He studies how brains store and experience memories. He has been co-host of the television show NOVA Wonders.

Early life and education Fenton was born in Georgetown, Guyana. He lived there until he was seven years old, when his mother was recruited to join IBM in Toronto. After graduating, Fenton joined the Institute of Physiology at the Czech Academy of Sciences. Here he worked in the research group of Jan Bures, where he specialised in the hippocampus. His research considered how cues impact hippocampal place fields. Fenton is interested in how brains create, store and experience memories. His research makes use of molecular and electrophysiological experimental techniques in combination with theoretical analysis. Working with Todd Sacktor, Fenton identified PKMzeta (protein kinase C zeta type) as an essential component of long-term memory. To achieve this, Fenton and Sacktor made use of his rotating arena and the ζ (Z) inhibitory peptide (ZIP) in specific parts of the brain, showing that ZIP-infusion into the hippocampus could erase long-term memory for a particular location. The discovery was selected by Science as one of the Breakthroughs of the Year.

To understand how the hippocampus is involved with information processing, Fenton studied the impact of formation and recollection of memories across a range of different timescales. It was approved for use in clinical and research settings by the Food and Drug Administration in 2012. He was awarded the 2019 Caribbean American Heritage Award for Excellence in Science and Technology. In 2020 Fenton was announced by Cell Press as one of the Top 100 Black Scientists in America.

Selected publications