Molecular Mechanisms in Perirhinal Cortex Selectively Necessary for Discrimination of Overlapping Memories, but Independent of Memory Persistence

ENeuro
Magdalena MirandaPedro Bekinschtein

Abstract

Successful memory involves not only remembering over time but also keeping memories distinct. The ability to separate similar experiences into distinct memories is a main feature of episodic memory. Discrimination of overlapping representations has been investigated in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus (DG), but little is known about this process in other regions such as the perirhinal cortex (Prh). We found in male rats that perirhinal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is required for separable storage of overlapping, but not distinct, object representations, which is identical to its role in the DG for spatial representations. Also, activity-regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein (Arc) is required for disambiguation of object memories, as measured by infusion of antisense oligonucleotides. This is the first time Arc has been implicated in the discrimination of objects with overlapping features. Although molecular mechanisms for object memory have been shown previously in Prh, these have been dependent on delay, suggesting a role specifically in memory duration. BDNF and Arc involvement were independent of delay-the same demand for memory persistence was present in all conditions-but only when discrimination of si...Continue Reading

Methods Mentioned

BETA
antisense oligonucleotide
antisense oligonucleotides

Software Mentioned

MSO
SOR
SLR
ImageJ
LEGO
xs
Arc
BLAST

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