Dopamine Effects On Memory Consolidation

University Of California Irvine, Irvine CA

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Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term objective of the proposed experiments is to improve the understanding of the neurobiology underlying emotionally influenced memory consolidation. The role of the dopaminergic system in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) during such consolidation is not fully understood. The specific aims of the proposed experiments are to determine whether dopamine (DA) receptor activation in the BLA is necessary after training for inhibitory avoidance (IA), whether the amount of DA released after IA training correlates with retention, and whether DA receptor activation in the NAc is necessary for memory modulation by the BLA. The proposed experiments will use animals with cranial cannula implantations to investigate this question. The animals will be trained and tested on an inhibitory avoidance task. Post-training manipulations or measurements of DA levels will be made. From the results, inferences will be drawn about the role of the dopaminergic system in these two structures during memory consolidation. These findings may provide insight into disorders of memory, such as posttraumatic stress disorder, as well as into the connections between emotionally influenced memory consolidation and addiction processes. [unreadable] [unreadable]