A One-Trial Mouse Model of Highly Stable Trauma-Induced Long-Term Memory

The formation and lifelong maintenance of memory remain one of the central unsolved problems of neuroscience. Although many experimental models have been developed to study memory, there is currently no paradigm that would enable to reliably investigate the memory mechanisms over timescales comparable to the lifespan. In this study, mice were tested for the ability to form highly stable long-term memory in a contextual fear conditioning paradigm, an adapted model of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with varying intensities of aversive stimulation. A one-trial learning model was developed by varying the intensity of aversive stimulation. The mice reliably formed long-term associative memories that persisted for at least six months. The model thus provides a promising tool for investigating the molecular and neuronal network mechanisms of lifelong memory retention.