Document Type
Article
Language
eng
Format of Original
5 p.
Publication Date
6-26-2013
Publisher
Society for Neuroscience
Source Publication
The Journal of Neuroscience
Source ISSN
0270-6474
Original Item ID
doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0144-13.2013
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays an important role in memory. By maintaining a working memory buffer, neurons in prelimbic (PL) mPFC may selectively contribute to learning associations between stimuli that are separated in time, as in trace fear conditioning (TFC). Until now, evidence for this bridging role was largely descriptive. Here we used optogenetics to silence neurons in the PL mPFC of rats during learning in TFC. Memory formation was prevented when mPFC was silenced specifically during the interval separating the cue and shock. Our results provide support for a working memory function for these cells and indicate that associating two noncontiguous stimuli requires bridging activity in PL mPFC.
Recommended Citation
Gilmartin, Marieke R.; Miyawaki, Hiroyuki; Helmstetter, Fred J.; and Diba, Kamran, "Prefrontal Activity Links Nonoverlapping Events in Memory" (2013). Biomedical Sciences Faculty Research and Publications. 31.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/biomedsci_fac/31
Comments
Published Version. Journal of Neuroscience, Vol. 33, No. 26 (June 2013): 10910-10914. DOI. © 2013 Society for Neuroscience. Used with permission.
Marieke Gilmartin was affiliated with the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee at the time of publication.