Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026
11:48
Optical Mapping of Langendorff-perfused Rat Hearts
Published on: August 11, 2009
21.3K
Cerebral perfusion mapping during retrieval of spatial memory in rats
D P Holschneider1, T K Givrad2, J Yang3
1Dept. of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, United States; Dept. of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, United States; Viterbi School of Engineering, Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, United States.
Behavioural Brain Research
|August 5, 2019
Summary
This study reveals whole-brain activation patterns during spatial memory recall in rats. Learning the Barnes maze task significantly altered regional cerebral blood flow and functional connectivity across multiple brain regions involved in navigation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Behavioral Neuroscience
Background:
- Previous studies on spatial navigation activation focused on limited brain regions.
- Whole-brain analysis of spatial memory retrieval in freely-moving animals was lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct the first whole-brain analysis of cerebral activation during spatial memory retrieval in rats.
- To investigate functional connectivity within the spatial navigation circuit.
Main Methods:
- Rats trained on the Barnes maze (LEARNERS) vs. passive exposure (CONTROLS).
- Functional brain mapping via [14C]-iodoantipyrine injection and subcutaneous minipump.
- Statistical parametric mapping and interregional correlation analysis of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF).
Main Results:
- LEARNERS showed increased rCBF in the hippocampus, thalamus, striatum, and cortex; decreased rCBF in the mammillary nucleus, amygdala, and insula.
- Enhanced functional connectivity in LEARNERS between the ventral hippocampus and cortical/thalamic regions.
- Broad activation across sensory circuits (visual, somatosensory, olfactory, auditory, vestibular) in LEARNERS.
Conclusions:
- Spatial memory retrieval involves widespread, coordinated brain activation and altered functional connectivity.
- The study highlights the role of sensory processing in spatial navigation.
- Implantable minipump technology enables powerful evaluation of locomotion-dependent behaviors.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:12Retrieval
422
Retrieval is the process of getting information out of memory storage and back into conscious awareness. This ability is essential for daily tasks like brushing hair and teeth, driving to work, and performing job duties. Retrieval occurs in three ways: recall, recognition, and relearning.
Recall involves accessing information without cues, such as during an essay test, where individuals must retrieve facts and concepts from memory unaided. Another example is remembering the name of a colleague...
Recall involves accessing information without cues, such as during an essay test, where individuals must retrieve facts and concepts from memory unaided. Another example is remembering the name of a colleague...
422
01:45ER Retrieval Pathway
4.7K
In the secretory pathway, vesicles transport proteins from one cellular compartment to another in forward transport to deliver the protein to its correct location. Occasionally, misfolded proteins and incorrect proteins escape their original compartments, and a retrieval pathway is used to return the escaped proteins to their original compartment.
The ER uses many checkpoints to prevent the entry of incorrectly folded or a resident protein as cargo onto a transport vesicle. These mechanisms...
The ER uses many checkpoints to prevent the entry of incorrectly folded or a resident protein as cargo onto a transport vesicle. These mechanisms...
4.7K
01:23System of Memory
7.2K
Memory is categorized into three major systems: sensory memory, short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM). These systems differ in their capacity and the duration for which they can hold information. Sensory memory captures raw sensory input from the environment, holding it for just a few seconds or less. For example, on hearing a brief, loud sound, like a car horn honking, the sound seems to linger in the mind for a moment even after it stops. This is an instance of sensory memory...
7.2K
01:24Working Memory
827
Working memory refers to a combination of components, including short-term memory and attention, that allow an individual to hold information temporarily as we perform cognitive tasks. It is an essential cognitive function that enables the execution of complex tasks such as problem-solving, comprehension, and reasoning. Unlike short-term memory, which simply involves the storage of information for a brief period, working memory involves the active manipulation and processing of this...
827
01:18Long-Term Memory
663
Long-term memory is a relatively permanent type of memory, capable of storing vast amounts of information over extended periods. Its storage capacity is generally considered unlimited.
Long-term memory can be categorized into two primary types: explicit and implicit memory. Explicit memory, also known as declarative memory, involves the conscious recollection of information that we deliberately try to remember, recall, and articulate. This type of memory encompasses specific facts, events, and...
Long-term memory can be categorized into two primary types: explicit and implicit memory. Explicit memory, also known as declarative memory, involves the conscious recollection of information that we deliberately try to remember, recall, and articulate. This type of memory encompasses specific facts, events, and...
663
01:20Traumatic Memory
557
Emotionally traumatic events often lead to memories that are exceptionally vivid and enduring, sometimes persisting with remarkable clarity throughout an individual's life. A classic example of this phenomenon is a person who survives a car accident. Even years later, they may recall every detail of the event with startling accuracy — the screeching of the tires, the jarring impact, and the acrid smell of burning rubber. Such vividness contrasts sharply with how an individual...
557