[1] He created a spinning platform that allowed investigations of how long rats can stay on track of their location, a neuroscientific device which became known as a rotating arena.
[8] 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.
[1][9][10] 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.
This neural coordination can be disturbed in certain neurological disorders, including epilepsy, autism and traumatic brain injury.
[1] Fenton studies brain activity using a low-cost, wireless digital device called the microEEG, which allows long-term recording of neural function via electroencephalography.