title: Retrieval of Consolidated Spatial Memory in the Water Maze Is Correlated with Expression of pCREB and Egr1 in the Hippocampus of Aged Mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the relationship of the expression of phosphorylated cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (pCREB) and early growth response protein 1 (Egr1) in the hippocampus of aged mice with retrieval of consolidated spatial memory in a water maze.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four aged mice were allocated into no training or probe test (naïve), no training but exposed to the same probe test (NTPRT), received training and probe test (PRT), and received training but no probe test (NPRT) groups. Twelve mice were trained in a water maze over 14 days. After the final probe trial on day 15, all mice were anesthetized and the brains were removed. pCREB immunoreactivity (pCREB-ir) and Egr1 immunoreactivity (Egr1-ir) in the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 areas were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  pCREB-ir and Egr1-ir in the CA1 and CA3 areas of the NPRT and PRT groups were significantly higher than those of the naïve and NTPRT groups, and those in the PRT group were significantly higher than in the NPRT group. In all groups, pCREB-ir was significantly higher in the CA3 area compared to the CA1 area, while Egr1-ir was significantly higher in the CA1 area compared to the CA3 area.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Retrieval, as well as formation, of consolidated spatial memory in the water maze is correlated with expression of pCREB and Egr1 in the hippocampus of aged mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China ; Department of Anesthesiology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China ; Department of Anesthesia, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Guoxia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Wanxia
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Xiaoguang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Shengjin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ge
keywords: Aged mouse; Cyclic AMP response element-binding protein; Early growth response protein 1; Hippocampus; Spatial probe test