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Memory Susceptibility to Retroactive Interference Is Developmentally Regulated by NMDA Receptors
Minyan Ge1, Huina Song1, Hua Li1
1Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medicine, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Cell Reports
|February 21, 2019
Summary
New research reveals that the balance of GluN2A and GluN2B subunits in the hippocampus influences memory interference during development. This finding sheds light on how forgetting changes with age.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Retroactive interference (RI) is a major cause of forgetting, where new information disrupts existing memories.
- Long-term potentiation (LTP) reversal is a potential neural mechanism for RI, but the molecular players and developmental aspects remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify key molecules controlling memory circuit sensitivity to RI.
- To elucidate the developmental trajectory of RI effects.
Main Methods:
- Investigated depotentiation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG).
- Analyzed the role of GluN2A-containing NMDA receptors (NMDARs).
- Examined developmental changes in GluN2A/GluN2B ratios and their impact on memory.
Main Results:
- Depotentiation in the DG is dependent on GluN2A-containing NMDARs.
- Memory susceptibility to RI increases with the developmental rise in the GluN2A/GluN2B ratio.
- Altering GluN2A/GluN2B balance in the DG affects RI-induced forgetting.
Conclusions:
- A developmental shift in GluN2 subunit predominance influences memory resistance to interference.
- This subunit switch underlies age-related changes in forgetting and memory vulnerability.
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