Vulnerability of a memory related to drug experience: hippocampal participation

MONTI CAROLINA; GABACH LAURA A; PEREZ MARIELA F; RAMÍREZ OSCAR

Huerta Grande

Congreso; SAN2011; 2011

Hippocampal synaptic plasticity has been related to learning and adaptive processes developed during chronic administration of drugs of abuse. The existence of common neurobiological mechanisms mediating drug addiction and memory were suggested, but the specific adaptations that sustain addiction or memory along time are still missing. We previously found that changes in contextual cues linked to diazepam withdrawal prevented the expression of the memory associated to the drug experience.  Recently it was shown that persistent phosphorylation by PKMZ is critical for the maintenace of hippocampal LTP and spatial memories. Considering all these, the aim of the work is to evaluate if the memory evoked by contextual cues linked to withdrawal experience, could be affected by intrahippocampal administration of the PKMZ inhibitor Zip. Results indicate Zip administration in dependent animals re-exposed to contextual cues prevented the expression of memory. Moreover, the enhancement in the hippocampal synaptic plasticity previously observed in dependent animals was also reversed, demonstrating the relevance of the hippocampus in the maintenance of the memory trace associated to drug experience and withdrawal.