Hippocampal CA1-region-restricted Knockout of NMDAR1 Gene Disrupts Synaptic Plasticity, Place Fields, and Spatial Learning
This extract was created in the absence of an abstract.
Excerpt
It has long been hypothesized that memory storage in the mammalian brain involves modifications of the synaptic connections between neurons. In 1949, Hebb introduced an influential theory consisting of principles that neurons must exhibit for implementing associative memory. The most important principle, known as Hebb's rule, is that when the presynaptic and the postsynaptic neurons are active simultaneously, their connections become strengthened. Subsequently, a synaptic phenomenon termed long-term potentiation (LTP) was discovered in the hippocampus that fits Hebb's rule. Hippocampal LTP, and the more recently discovered long-term depression (LTD), have been subjected to excruciating molecular and cellular studies as the promising candidate mechanisms for memory storage. A large body of research has shown that various artificial protocols in vitro and in vivo can induce LTP or LTD.
The hippocampus is also well situated for its role in memory from the anatomical point of view. It is a high-level multimodal association...
