Involvement of the anterior cingulate cortex in the expression of remote spatial memory
Cátia M Teixeira1, Stephen R Pomedli, Hamid R Maei
1Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1X8.
Summary
The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is crucial for recalling remote spatial memories in mice. This brain region
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Memory Research
Background:
- The hippocampus is vital for forming spatial memories.
- Mature spatial memories may rely on extrahippocampal structures.
- The specific brain regions supporting remote spatial memory are unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify extrahippocampal structures involved in remote spatial memory.
- To investigate the role of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in spatial memory recall.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Morris water-maze task in mice.
- Measured c-fos gene expression in the ACC to assess neural activation.
- Pharmacologically inactivated the ACC using lidocaine.
- Administered AMPA receptor antagonist CNQX.
- Inactivated the dorsal hippocampus for comparison.
Main Results:
- Fos expression increased in the ACC for remote (1-month-old) but not recent (1-day-old) memories.
- ACC inactivation impaired remote spatial memory recall but spared recent memory.
- Dorsal hippocampus inactivation disrupted spatial memory regardless of age.
- ACC inactivation effects were consistent across mouse strains and training paradigms.
Conclusions:
- Spatial memory circuits reorganize over time.
- The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is critical for expressing remote spatial memories.
- ACC neural activity is essential for processing long-term spatial memory.
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