Delayed wave of c-Fos expression in the dorsal hippocampus involved specifically in persistence of long-term memory storage.
Memory formation is a temporally graded process during which transcription and translation steps are required in the first hours after acquisition. Although persistence is a key characteristic of memory storage, its mechanisms are scarcely characterized. Here, we show that long-lasting but not short-lived inhibitory avoidance long-term memory is associated with a delayed expression of c-Fos in the hippocampus. Importantly, this late wave of c-Fos is necessary for maintenance of inhibitory avoidance long-term storage. Moreover, inhibition of transcription in the dorsal hippocampus 24 h after training hinders persistence but not formation of long-term storage. These findings indicate that a delayed phase of transcription is essential for maintenance of a hippocampus-dependent memory trace. Our results support the hypothesis that recurrent rounds of consolidation-like events take place late after learning in the dorsal hippocampus to maintain memories.
Katche
Cynthia
C
Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina, UBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Bekinschtein
Pedro
P
Slipczuk
Leandro
L
Goldin
Andrea
A
Izquierdo
Ivan A
IA
Cammarota
Martin
M
Medina
Jorge H
JH
D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology; D003214:Conditioning, Classical; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D012333:RNA, Messenger