Updating during memory reconsolidation in the crab Chasmagnathus

KACZER LAURA; HECTOR MALDONADO; MARTIN KLAPPENBACH

Congreso; Segunda Reunión conjunta de Neurociencias; 2010

The reconsolidation phenomenon describes that a stable and consolidated me­mory recalled by a reminder enters a vulnerability phase (labilization), followed by a process of re-stabilization (reconsolidation). Although much has been lear­ned regarding the mechanisms of reconsolidation, the search for an endogenous function of this process remains a fundamental question. It has been suggested that reconsolidation might enable memories to be modified or updated. Here, we address this issue in the framework of reconsolidation of an aversive contextual learning in the crab Chasmagnathus. Our preliminary results show that after being reactivated by a reminder, crabs can incorporate new information to an active me­mory trace. Interestingly, this information consists of an appetitive stimulus, which also elicits a contextual association. Thus, we hypothesize that by means of the labilization-reconsolidation mechanism, a same context could be able to support two opposite meanings in a same memory trace.