Validation of noradrenergic memory enhancement in mice
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2017-08-01
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en
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Emotionally arousing experiences are better remembered than non-arousing experiences. Noradrenergic activity is crucially involved in the memory enhancement of emotional arousing experiences. Immediate post-training enhancement of noradrenergic activity is known to facilitate long-term memory in a variety of memory tasks, such as novel object recognition and inhibitory avoidance, by strengthening the consolidation phase of memory processing. However, very little work has been done on investigating the effect of noradrenergic enhancement of memory in mice, which show different cognitive abilities and endogenous arousal levels induced by the training experiences compared to rats. The emergence of new techniques, such as optogenetics and DREADDS, in mice is asking for a validation of noradrenergic dependent memory enhancement in mice. Therefore, in the current study we successfully validated the object recognition/location and inhibitory avoidance tasks for use in mice. Moreover, we examined the effect of post-training noradrenergic manipulations in male C57BL/6J mice on memory for object recognition/location and inhibitory avoidance training. Different doses of the noradrenergic stimulant yohimbine were injected post-training to enhance memory consolidation on both tasks. Our findings indicate that yohimbine dose-dependently enhanced memory of object recognition/location. The yohimbine effect on inhibitory avoidance memory enhancement looks promising, but was not statistically significant. Whereas the lower dose of 1.0 mg/kg enhanced 24-h retention on the object location/recognition tasks, it appears that a higher dose of 3.0mg/kg is required to enhance 48-h retention on the inhibitory avoidance task. Thus, on the whole, this study provides a solid scientific basis for the continuation of experiments in which the neural basis of emotional arousal effects on memory will be investigated with the use of novel techniques in mice.
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Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen