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Updated: Jul 20, 2026
Immunohistochemical Visualization of Hippocampal Neuron Activity After Spatial Learning in a Mouse Model of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Published on: May 12, 2015
Involvement of hippocampal extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 in spatial working memory in rats
Taku Nagai1, Hiroyuki Kamei, Misato Dohniwa
1Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
Abstract:
The role of the phosphorylation of hippocampal extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 in spatial working memory in rats was assessed with a delayed spatial win-shift task in a radial arm maze. The task consisted of two phases, a training phase and a test phase, separated by a delay. Phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 levels were significantly and transiently increased in the hippocampus by 60 min, and then returned to the control levels 120 min after the training phase. Bilateral microinjections of the PD98059, an inhibitor of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 kinase MEK, into the hippocampus impaired performance in the test phase of the delayed spatial win-shift task at 5-min delay. These results suggest that extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 activation in the hippocampus plays a crucial role in spatial working memory.
