Blocking c-Fos Expression Reveals the Role of Auditory Cortex Plasticity in Sound Frequency Discrimination Learning.
The behavioral changes that comprise operant learning are associated with plasticity in early sensory cortices as well as with modulation of gene expression, but the connection between the behavioral, electrophysiological, and molecular changes is only partially understood. We specifically manipulated c-Fos expression, a hallmark of learning-induced synaptic plasticity, in auditory cortex of adult mice using a novel approach based on RNA interference. Locally blocking c-Fos expression caused a specific behavioral deficit in a sound discrimination task, in parallel with decreased cortical experience-dependent plasticity, without affecting baseline excitability or basic auditory processing. Thus, c-Fos-dependent experience-dependent cortical plasticity is necessary for frequency discrimination in an operant behavioral task. Our results connect behavioral, molecular and physiological changes and demonstrate a role of c-Fos in experience-dependent plasticity and learning.
Department of Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, 37075 Göttingen, Germany.
Livia
L
de Hoz
Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.|Department of Neurophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
Dorota
D
Gierej
Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
Victoria
V
Lioudyno
Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland.
Jacek
J
Jaworski
Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland.
Magda
M
Blazejczyk
Department of Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, 37075 Göttingen, Germany.|International Max Planck Research School for Neurosciences, Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences and Molecular Biosciences, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
Hugo
H
Cruces-Solís
Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
Anna
A
Beroun
Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.|Department of Neurophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
Tomasz
T
Lebitko
Department of Neurophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
Tomasz
T
Nikolaev
Department of Neurophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
Ewelina
E
Knapska
Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences and the Department of Neurobiology, Hebrew University, 9190401 Jerusalem, Israel.
Israel
I
Nelken
Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
Leszek
L
Kaczmarek
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D005108:Extinction, Psychological; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins