Involvement of retrosplenial cortical α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in aversive memory processing.

PASTOR, VERÓNICA; KATCHE, CYNTHIA

Congreso; xxxviii congreso anual de la sociedad argentina de investigaciones en neurociencias; 2023

In the retrosplenial cortex (RSC), the role of cholinergic modulation via α7 nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) and their involvement in memory is unknown. In recent years, the RSC has been shown to deteriorate in the early stages of Alzheimer´s disease (AD). Likewise, the cholinergic system has been postulated as one of those responsible for cognitive impairment in patients with AD. Great interest has arisen in the study of α7 nAChRs as more specific targets for the treatment of this disease. For this reason, we aim to study the role of α7 receptors of the RSC in memory processing. We infused a selective α7 nAChRs antagonist into RSC to assess its role in different phases of aversive memory processing using an inhibitory avoidance task. We found that α7 nAChRs are required for memory expression in the RSC. These results identify these receptors as key players in the expression of an aversive memory and highlight their significant potential as therapeutic targets for Alzheimer´s disease.