Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Contextual and Cued Fear Conditioning Test Using a Video Analyzing System in Mice
19:32

Contextual and Cued Fear Conditioning Test Using a Video Analyzing System in Mice

Published on: March 1, 2014

52.8K

Hippocampal Homer1b/c is necessary for contextual fear conditioning and group I metabotropic glutamate receptor

Kirstan Gimse1, Ryan C Gorzek2, Andrew Olin3

  • 1Cellular and Molecular Pathology Graduate Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Medical Sciences Center, 1300 University Ave, Room 73 Bardeen, Madison, WI 53706, USA.

Neurobiology of Learning and Memory
|October 19, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Reduced Homer1b/c in rat hippocampus impairs contextual fear learning and blocks mGluR1/5 long-term depression, suggesting a role in specific memory forms and synaptic plasticity.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Synaptic Plasticity

Background:

  • Coiled-coil Homer1 proteins (Homer1b/c) are implicated in hippocampal learning, memory, and synaptic plasticity.
  • Previous studies showed Homer1c overexpression rescues memory deficits and enhances synaptic potentiation in rats and mice.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether Homer1b/c is essential for learning and memory.
  • To determine the necessity of Homer1b/c for synaptic plasticity.

Main Methods:

  • Used rAAV5 vectors to deliver Homer1b/c-targeting short hairpin RNA in adult male Sprague Dawley rats.
  • Assessed learning and memory using contextual fear conditioning, Morris water maze, and novel object recognition tasks.
  • Measured metabotropic glutamate receptor 1/5 (mGluR1/5) mediated long-term depression in the Schaffer collateral pathway.

Main Results:

  • Reduced hippocampal Homer1b/c expression caused significant learning deficits in contextual fear conditioning.
  • No deficits were observed in Morris water maze or novel object recognition tasks.
  • Reduced Homer1b/c completely blocked mGluR1/5 mediated long-term depression.

Conclusions:

  • Homer1b/c plays a significant role in specific forms of learning and synaptic plasticity.
  • The precise roles of Homer1b and Homer1c isoforms in learning and memory require further investigation.

Keywords:
Contextual fear conditioningHippocampusHomer1cLearning and memoryLong term depressionMetabotropic glutamate receptor

More Related Videos

Trace Fear Conditioning in Mice07:02

Trace Fear Conditioning in Mice

Published on: March 20, 2014

34.0K
Fear Incubation Using an Extended Fear-Conditioning Protocol for Rats13:38

Fear Incubation Using an Extended Fear-Conditioning Protocol for Rats

Published on: August 22, 2020

8.8K

Related Concept Videos

Long-term Depression01:05

Long-term Depression

Long-term depression, or LTD, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTD is the process of synaptic weakening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic weakening of LTD works in opposition to synaptic strengthening by long-term potentiation (LTP) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
33.3K
Long-term Depression01:03

Long-term Depression

Long-term depression, or LTD, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTD is the process of synaptic weakening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic weakening of LTD works in opposition to synaptic strengthening by long-term potentiation (LTP) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
Calcium Ion Concentration Mechanism
If over...
3.4K
Receptor-mediated Endocytosis01:39

Receptor-mediated Endocytosis

Overview
110.9K
Receptor-mediated Endocytosis01:20

Receptor-mediated Endocytosis

Receptor-mediated endocytosis is when bulk amounts of specific molecules are imported into a cell after binding to cell surface receptors. The molecules bound to these receptors are taken into the cell through inward folding of the cell surface membrane, which is eventually pinched off into a vesicle within the cell. Structural proteins, such as clathrin, coat the budding vesicle.
Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis of LDL
One well-characterized example of receptor-mediated endocytosis is the...
7.8K
Freezing Point Depression and Boiling Point Elevation03:12

Freezing Point Depression and Boiling Point Elevation

Boiling Point Elevation
The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which its vapor pressure is equal to ambient atmospheric pressure. Since the vapor pressure of a solution is lowered due to the presence of nonvolatile solutes, it stands to reason that the solution’s boiling point will subsequently be increased. Vapor pressure increases with temperature, and so a solution will require a higher temperature than will pure solvent to achieve any given vapor pressure, including one...
40.1K
Depressants01:28

Depressants

Depressant drugs, including alcohol and sedative-hypnotics, diminish central nervous system activity by enhancing the action of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that reduces brain activity and promotes relaxation. These substances can have various therapeutic uses but also pose significant risks, especially when misused or combined.
Alcohol is a common depressant that can induce a sense of relaxation and reduced inhibition at low doses. Contrary to its occasional...
436