title: Investigations into the involvement of NMDA mechanisms in recognition memory.
abstract: This review will focus on evidence showing that NMDA receptor neurotransmission is critical for synaptic plasticity processes within brain regions known to be necessary for the formation of object recognition memories. The aim will be to provide evidence concerning NMDA mechanisms related to recognition memory processes and show that recognition memory for objects, places or associations between objects and places depends on NMDA neurotransmission within the perirhinal cortex, temporal association cortex medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Administration of the NMDA antagonist AP5, selectively into each of these brain regions has revealed that the extent of the involvement NMDA receptors appears dependent on the type of information required to solve the recognition memory task; thus NMDA receptors in the perirhinal cortex are crucial for the encoding of long-term recognition memory for objects, and object-in-place associations, but not for short-term recognition memory or for retrieval. In contrast the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex are required for both long-term and short-term recognition memory for places or associations between objects and places, or for recognition memory tasks that have a temporal component. Such studies have therefore confirmed that the multiple brain regions make distinct contributions to recognition memory but in addition that more than one synaptic plasticity process must be involved. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Glutamate Receptor-Dependent Synaptic Plasticity'.
authors.affiliation: School of Physiology and Pharmacology, MRC Centre for Synapric Plasticity, University of Bristol, Bristol BS1 3NY, United Kingdom. e.c.warburton@bristol.ac.uk
authors.forename: E Clea
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Warburton
authors.forename: Gareth R I
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Barker
authors.forename: Malcom W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008845:Microinjections; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000502:physiology*; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate
keywords: Hippocampus NMDA; Perirhinal cortex; Plasticity; Prefrontal cortex; Recognition memory