Long-term memory for place learning is facilitated by expression of cAMP response element-binding protein in the dorsal hippocampus
- 1 Department of Pharmacology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, USA;
- 2 Neuroscience Program, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, USA;
- 3 Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478, USA;
- 4 Department of Psychology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, USA
Abstract
Extensive research has shown that the hippocampus is necessary for consolidation of long-term spatial memory in rodents. We reported previously that rats using a place strategy to solve a cross maze task showed sustained phosphorylation of hippocampus cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB), a transcription factor implicated in long-term memory formation. In the current study, we used viral vector-mediated gene transfer to test the hypothesis that formation of long-term memory for place learning can be facilitated by increasing levels of CREB in the dorsal hippocampus. Three days after intrahippocampus infusion, experimental (HSV-CREB) and control (HSV-LacZ; saline) rats were trained during a single session on a place task in a water cross maze. Rats were tested for memory 5 d later. Rats in all groups showed short-term memory, and there were no significant differences among treatment groups during acquisition. However, only HSV-CREB-infused rats showed significant savings between training and test, while HSV-LacZ- and saline-treated rats did not. Quantitative Western blotting confirmed that levels of dorsal hippocampus CREB were increased during training in rats infused with HSV-CREB in comparisons with controls. The present results show that formation of long-term memory can be facilitated by increasing levels of hippocampus CREB protein.
Footnotes
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↵5 Corresponding author.
↵5 E-mail pcolomb{at}tulane.edu; fax (504) 862-8774.
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Article is online at http://www.learnmem.org/cgi/doi/10.1101/lm.395407
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- Received August 3, 2006.
- Accepted January 23, 2007.
- Copyright © 2007, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press