Influence of Pre-Training Predator Stress on the Expression of c-fos mRNA in the Hippocampus, Amygdala and Striatum Following Long-Term Spatial Memory Retrieval
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-2011
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2011.00030
Abstract
We have studied the influence of pre-training psychological stress on the expression of c-fos mRNA following long-term spatial memory retrieval. Rats were trained to learn the location of a hidden escape platform in the radial-arm water maze, and then their memory for the platform location was assessed 24 h later. Rat brains were extracted 30 min after the 24-h memory test trial for analysis of c-fos mRNA. Four groups were tested: (1) Rats given standard training (Standard); (2) Rats given cat exposure (Predator Stress) 30 min prior to training (Pre-Training Stress); (3) Rats given water exposure only (Water Yoked); and (4) Rats given no water exposure (Home Cage). The Standard trained group exhibited excellent 24 h memory which was accompanied by increased c-fos mRNA in the dorsal hippocampus and basolateral amygdala (BLA). The Water Yoked group exhibited no increase in c-fos mRNA in any brain region. Rats in the Pre-Training Stress group were classified into two subgroups: good and bad memory performers. Neither of the two Pre-Training Stress subgroups exhibited a significant change in c-fos mRNA expression in the dorsal hippocampus or BLA. Instead, stressed rats with good memory exhibited significantly greater c-fos mRNA expression in the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) compared to stressed rats with bad memory. This finding suggests that stressed rats with good memory used their DLS to generate a non-spatial (cue-based) strategy to learn and subsequently retrieve the memory of the platform location. Collectively, these findings provide evidence at a molecular level for the involvement of the hippocampus and BLA in the retrieval of spatial memory and contribute novel observations on the influence of pre-training stress in activating the DLS in response to long-term memory retrieval.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, v. 5, art. 30
Scholar Commons Citation
VanElzakker, Michael B.; Zoladz, Phillip R.; Thompson, Vanessa M.; Park, Collin R.; Halonen, Joshua D.; Spencer, Robert L.; and Diamond, David M., "Influence of Pre-Training Predator Stress on the Expression of c-fos mRNA in the Hippocampus, Amygdala and Striatum Following Long-Term Spatial Memory Retrieval" (2011). Psychology Faculty Publications. 1366.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/psy_facpub/1366
