Memory strength gates the involvement of a CREB-dependent cortical fear engram in remote memory.

ABSTRACT: Encoding and retrieval of contextual memories is initially mediated by sparsely activated neurons, so-called engram cells, in the hippocampus. Subsequent memory persistence is thought to depend on network-wide changes involving progressive contribution of cortical regions, a process referred to as systems consolidation. Using a viral-based TRAP (targeted recombination in activated populations) approach, we studied whether consolidation of contextual fear memory by neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is modulated by memory strength and CREB function. We demonstrate that activity of a small subset of mPFC neurons is sufficient and necessary for remote memory expression, but their involvement depends on the strength of conditioning. Furthermore, selective disruption of CREB functio

SUBMITTER: Matos MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6534583 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature