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Chemogenetic inactivation of the nucleus reuniens impairs object placement memory in female mice

Episodic memory is a complex process requiring input from several regions of the brain. Emerging evidence suggests that coordinated activity between the dorsal hippocampus (DH) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is required for episodic memory consolidation. However, the mechanisms through which th...

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Autores principales: Schwabe, Miranda R., Lincoln, Carnita M., Ivers, Margaret M., Frick, Karyn M.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8595750/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34536525
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107521
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author Schwabe, Miranda R.
Lincoln, Carnita M.
Ivers, Margaret M.
Frick, Karyn M.
author_facet Schwabe, Miranda R.
Lincoln, Carnita M.
Ivers, Margaret M.
Frick, Karyn M.
author_sort Schwabe, Miranda R.
collection PubMed
description Episodic memory is a complex process requiring input from several regions of the brain. Emerging evidence suggests that coordinated activity between the dorsal hippocampus (DH) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is required for episodic memory consolidation. However, the mechanisms through which the DH and mPFC interact to promote memory consolidation remain poorly understood. A growing body of research suggests that the nucleus reuniens of the thalamus (RE) is one of several structures that facilitate communication between the DH and mPFC during memory and may do so through bidirectional excitatory projections to both regions. Furthermore, recent work from other labs indicates that the RE is necessary for spatial working memory. However, it is not clear to what extent the RE is necessary for memory of object locations. The goal of this study was to determine whether activity in the RE is necessary for spatial memory as measured by the object placement (OP) task in female mice. A kappa-opioid receptor DREADD (KORD) virus was used to inactivate excitatory neurons in the RE pre- or post-training to establish a role for the RE in spatial memory acquisition and consolidation, respectively. RE inactivation prior to, or immediately after, object training blocked OP memory formation relative to chance and to control mice. Moreover, expression of the immediate early gene EGR-1 was reduced in the RE 1 hour after an object training trial, supporting the conclusion that reduced neuronal activity in the RE impairs the formation of object location memories. In summary, the findings of this study support a key role for the RE in spatial memory acquisition and consolidation.
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spelling pubmed-85957502021-11-17 Chemogenetic inactivation of the nucleus reuniens impairs object placement memory in female mice Schwabe, Miranda R. Lincoln, Carnita M. Ivers, Margaret M. Frick, Karyn M. Neurobiol Learn Mem Article Episodic memory is a complex process requiring input from several regions of the brain. Emerging evidence suggests that coordinated activity between the dorsal hippocampus (DH) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is required for episodic memory consolidation. However, the mechanisms through which the DH and mPFC interact to promote memory consolidation remain poorly understood. A growing body of research suggests that the nucleus reuniens of the thalamus (RE) is one of several structures that facilitate communication between the DH and mPFC during memory and may do so through bidirectional excitatory projections to both regions. Furthermore, recent work from other labs indicates that the RE is necessary for spatial working memory. However, it is not clear to what extent the RE is necessary for memory of object locations. The goal of this study was to determine whether activity in the RE is necessary for spatial memory as measured by the object placement (OP) task in female mice. A kappa-opioid receptor DREADD (KORD) virus was used to inactivate excitatory neurons in the RE pre- or post-training to establish a role for the RE in spatial memory acquisition and consolidation, respectively. RE inactivation prior to, or immediately after, object training blocked OP memory formation relative to chance and to control mice. Moreover, expression of the immediate early gene EGR-1 was reduced in the RE 1 hour after an object training trial, supporting the conclusion that reduced neuronal activity in the RE impairs the formation of object location memories. In summary, the findings of this study support a key role for the RE in spatial memory acquisition and consolidation. 2021-09-15 2021-11 /pmc/articles/PMC8595750/ /pubmed/34536525 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107521 Text en https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) ).
spellingShingle Article
Schwabe, Miranda R.
Lincoln, Carnita M.
Ivers, Margaret M.
Frick, Karyn M.
Chemogenetic inactivation of the nucleus reuniens impairs object placement memory in female mice
title Chemogenetic inactivation of the nucleus reuniens impairs object placement memory in female mice
title_full Chemogenetic inactivation of the nucleus reuniens impairs object placement memory in female mice
title_fullStr Chemogenetic inactivation of the nucleus reuniens impairs object placement memory in female mice
title_full_unstemmed Chemogenetic inactivation of the nucleus reuniens impairs object placement memory in female mice
title_short Chemogenetic inactivation of the nucleus reuniens impairs object placement memory in female mice
title_sort chemogenetic inactivation of the nucleus reuniens impairs object placement memory in female mice
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8595750/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34536525
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107521
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