Cocaine-context memories are transcriptionally encoded in nucleus accumbens Arc ensembles.

ABSTRACT: Learned associations between the rewarding effects of drugs and the context in which they are experienced are critical for context-induced relapse. While context re-exposure triggers the recall of such drug-related associative memories it is unclear whether this relies on the reactivation of and plasticity in neuronal populations previously engaged in their acquisition. Here, using the immediate early gene Arc, we captured a discrete population of nucleus accumbens (NAc) cells activated during the encoding of cocaine-context memory in mice and showed that this neuronal ensemble is later reactivated upon context-induced recall. Furthermore, we show that ensembles recruited at early vs. late stages of memory encoding are largely distinct and contribute differentially to memory retrieval. Sin

SUBMITTER: Salery M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12222677 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature