Memory interference in an object-recognition learning task depends on the type of the interpolated experience

VILLAR ME; MARTINEZ MC; BALLARINI F; VIOLA H

Córdoba

Congreso; SAN-TAN; 2012

Recently encoded information can be lost in the presence of new information, a process called ?retrograde interference? (RI). Based on our previous findings on RI using a spatial task in combination with an aversive task (Martínez et al., 2012); here, we studied if RI could occur using only non-aversive tasks. Derived from object-recognition paradigms, we designed a training protocol consisting of two different learning sessions (called ?tasks?) and evaluated the long-term memory (LTM) of each task 24 h after the training. The aim of this work is to analyze which aspects of the second task are related to the occurrence of RI in the consolidation of the first task trace. In particular, we evaluated the effect of the context and the objects whether they are novel or familiar and the influence of the interaction between them. Besides, we studied the involvement of the hippocampus and the medial Prefrontal Cortex in the consolidation of these tasks. Our results show that the degree of novelty experienced in the second task is relevant for RI and that these brain regions are implicated in the formation of the object recognition LTM.