Research article summary (published 17 Jul 2006):

Involvement of the anterior cingulate cortex in the expression of remote spatial memory.

Full Abstract

Although the hippocampus plays a crucial role in the formation of spatial memories, as these memories mature they may become additionally (or even exclusively) dependent on extrahippocampal structures. However, the identity of these extrahippocampal structures that support remote spatial memory is currently not known. Using a Morris water-maze task, we show that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) plays a key role in the expression of remote spatial memories in mice. To first evaluate whether the ACC is activated after the recall of spatial memory, we examined the expression of the immediate early gene, c-fos, in the ACC. Fos expression was elevated after expression of a remote (1 month old), but not recent (1 d old), water-maze memory, suggesting that ACC plays an increasingly important role as a function of time. Consistent with the gene expression data, targeted pharmacological inactivation of the ACC with the sodium channel blocker lidocaine blocked expression of remote, but spared recent, spatial memory. In contrast, inactivation of the dorsal hippocampus disrupted expression of spatial memory, regardless of its age. We further showed that inactivation of the ACC blocked expression of remote spatial memory in two different mouse strains, after training with either a hidden or visible platform in a constant location, and using the AMPA receptor antagonist CNQX. Together, our data provide evidence that circuits supporting spatial memory are reorganized in a time-dependent manner, and establish that activity in neurons intrinsic to the ACC is critical for processing remote spatial memories.

Author information

Author/s: Teixeira, Cátia M (CM); Pomedli, Stephen R (SR); Maei, Hamid R (HR); Kee, Nohjin (N); Frankland, Paul W (PW);

Affiliation: Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1X8.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience (J Neurosci), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Jul; vol 26 (issue 29) : pp 7555-64

Dates: Created 2006/07/20; Completed 2006/08/14; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 16855083, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione - pharmacology Animals Cues Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists - pharmacology Gyrus Cinguli - drug effects; metabolism; physiology Hippocampus - drug effects; metabolism Lidocaine - pharmacology Male Maze Learning - physiology Memory - drug effects; physiology Memory, Short-Term - drug effects

Memory, Short-Term - drug effects Mental Recall - physiology Mice Mice, Inbred Strains Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos - metabolism Sodium Channel Blockers - pharmacology Space Perception - physiology Species Specificity Swimming Time Factors Visual Perception - physiology

Associated Chemicals: Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists (0) ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos (0) ; Sodium Channel Blockers (0) ; 6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (115066-14-3) ; Lidocaine (137-58-6)

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