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Published on: February 26, 2012
Contextual memory deficits observed in mice overexpressing small conductance Ca2+-activated K+ type 2 (KCa2.2, SK2)
Robert W Stackman1, Chris T Bond, John P Adelman
1Program in Psychobiology, Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida 33431-0991, USA. rstackma@fau.edu
Abstract:
Hippocampal-dependent synaptic plasticity and memory are modulated by apamin-sensitive small conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (SK) channels. Transgenic mice overexpressing SK2 channels (SK2+/T mice) exhibit marked deficits in hippocampal memory and synaptic plasticity, as previously reported. Here, we examined whether SK2 overexpression affects the encoding or retention of contextual memory. Compared with wild-type littermates, SK2+/T mice exhibited significantly less context-dependent freezing 10 min and 24 h after conditioning. Interestingly, this contextual memory impairment was eliminated if SK2+/T mice were permitted longer pre-exposure to the conditioning chamber. These data support converging evidence that SK2 channels restrict the encoding of hippocampal memory.
