Current events

Date: May 4th

Time: 09:30 am

Place : 2nd Floor Conference Room, Gonda building.

Title : "Generation of a synthetic memory trace"

Speaker: Don Julien

Summary:

We investigated the effect of activating a competing, artificially generated, neural representation on encoding of contextual fear memory in mice. We used a c-fos?based transgenic approach to introduce the hM3Dq DREADD receptor (designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drug) into neurons naturally activated by sensory experience. Neural activity could then be specifically and inducibly increased in the hM3Dq-expressing neurons by an exogenous ligand. When an ensemble of neurons for one context (ctxA) was artificially activated during conditioning in a distinct second context (ctxB), mice formed a hybrid memory representation. Reactivation of the artificially stimulated network within the conditioning context was required for retrieval of the memory, and the memory was specific for the spatial pattern of neurons artificially activated during learning. Similar stimulation impaired recall when not part of the initial conditioning.

Relevant Reading Material:

Science. 2012 Mar 23;335(6075):1513-6. Generation of a synthetic memory trace. Garner AR, Rowland DC, Hwang SY, Baumgaertel K, Roth BL, Kentros C, Mayford M.