Differences in the Flexibility of Switching Learning Strategies and CREB Phosphorylation Levels in Prefrontal Cortex, Dorsal Striatum and Hippocampus in Two Inbred Strains of Mice.
Flexibility in using different learning strategies was assessed in two different inbred strains of mice, the C57BL/6 and DBA/2 strains. Mice were trained sequentially in two different Morris water maze protocols that tested their ability to switch their learning strategy to complete a new task after first being trained in a different task. Training consisted either of visible platform trials (cued training) followed by subsequent hidden platform trials (place training) or the reverse sequence (place training followed by cued training). Both strains of mice showed equivalent performance in the type of training (cued or place) that they received first. However, C57BL/6 mice showed significantly better performances than DBA/2 mice following the switch in training protocols, irrespective of the order of training. After completion of the switched training session, levels of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and phosphorylated CREB (pCREB) were measured in the hippocampus, striatum and prefrontal cortex of the mice. Prefrontal cortical and hippocampal pCREB levels differed by strain, with higher levels found in C57BL/6 mice than in DBA/2 mice. No strain differences were observed in the medial or lateral region of the dorsal striatum. These findings indicate that the engagement (i.e., CREB signaling) of relevant neural structures may vary by the specific demands of the learning strategy, and this is closely tied to differences in the flexibility of C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice to switch their learning strategies when given a new task.
Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University Seoul, South Korea.
Woo-Hyun
WH
Cho
Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University Seoul, South Korea.
Jung-Soo
JS
Han
cAMP response element-binding protein; cued learning; hippocampus; place learning; prefrontal cortex; strategy-switching; striatum; water maze
Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2004 Jan;81(1):19-26
14670355
Learn Mem. 2000 May-Jun;7(3):170-9
10837506
J Comp Neurol. 2002 Jan 7;442(2):163-87
11754169
Behav Brain Res. 2008 Jun 26;190(1):85-96
18359099
Behav Brain Res. 1990 Mar 26;37(3):281-92
2340102
J Neurosci. 2003 Apr 1;23(7):3001-5
12684487
Behav Brain Res. 2014 Oct 15;273:116-22
25078295
J Neurosci. 2007 Apr 25;27(17):4747-55
17460087
Brain Res Bull. 2014 May;104:52-9
24742527
J Neurosci. 1999 Apr 1;19(7):2789-98
10087090
Behav Neurosci. 1999 Aug;113(4):718-31
10495080
J Neurosci. 2011 Nov 16;31(46):16517-28
22090478
Neurobiol Aging. 1990 Sep-Oct;11(5):507-14
2234281
J Neurosci. 2006 Apr 26;26(17):4546-58
16641234
Neurobiol Learn Mem. 1996 Jan;65(1):65-72
8673408
Neuroscience. 1997 Oct;80(4):1087-99
9284062
Arch Pharm Res. 2010 Mar;33(3):469-77
20361314
Front Hum Neurosci. 2014 Sep 30;8:742
25324753
Nat Rev Neurosci. 2006 Jun;7(6):464-76
16715055
Behav Neurosci. 2002 Dec;116(6):947-57
12492293
Mech Ageing Dev. 2012 May;133(5):291-9
22445851
Behav Neurosci. 2002 Feb;116(1):105-15
11898801
Neuron. 2003 Mar 6;37(5):877-88
12628177
Behav Neural Biol. 1994 May;61(3):260-70
8067981
Brain Res Bull. 2015 Jul;116:34-44
26033702
Brain Res. 1997 Jul 18;763(1):127-30
9272837
Behav Neurosci. 1994 Aug;108(4):810-7
7986374
J Neurosci. 2003 Apr 15;23(8):3547-54
12716964
J Neurochem. 1995 Jun;64(6):2737-46
7760054
Genes Brain Behav. 2005 Jul;4(5):307-17
16011577
Brain Res. 1990 Jul 23;523(2):181-7
2400904
Behav Brain Res. 1985 Sep;17(1):9-16
4041225
Brain Res. 2010 Jul 23;1345:156-63
20501325
Prog Brain Res. 1990;85:95-116; discussion 116-8
2094917
J Neurobiol. 2003 Jan;54(1):224-37
12486706
Neuropsychologia. 2003;41(3):245-51
12457750
Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2007 Feb;87(2):174-80
16990035
Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2004 Nov;28(7):771-84
15555683
Neurosci Res. 2007 Jun;58(2):105-12
17298852
Hippocampus. 2002;12(1):63-75
11918290
Front Behav Neurosci. 2013 Oct 29;7:156
24194705
J Exp Biol. 2006 Jun;209(Pt 12):2293-303
16731805
Brain Res. 1999 Sep 11;841(1-2):123-34
10546995
Behav Brain Res. 2007 May 16;179(2):219-28
17337305
J Neurosci. 2009 Jun 3;29(22):7208-19
19494143
J Neurosci. 1989 Nov;9(11):3760-5
2585053
Learn Mem. 2008 Mar 19;15(4):183-8
18353993