Serotonin Type 2a Receptor in the Prefrontal Cortex Controls Perirhinal Cortex Excitability During Object Recognition Memory Recall

JUAN FACUNDO MORICI; CICUTTIN, G; GALLO, FT; MIRANDA, M; MARIANO ANDRÉS BELLUSCIO; CAMILA L. ZOLD; BEKINSCHTEIN, P; WEISSTAUB, NOELIA VICTORIA

NEUROSCIENCE

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2022

0306-4522

Previous experiences can drive adaptive behavior based on different characteristics, including contextual ones. Indeed, contextual information can be used as a criterion to guide the recall of the most relevant memory trace and the inhibition of others. The medial Prefontal Cortex (mPFC) has been proposed as an area that plays a pivotal role in regulating the retrieval of memory traces in downstream regions. Also, we have shown that mPFC Serotonin 2a Receptors (5-HT2aR) modulates the retrieval of a contextually guided recognition memory task and modulates the retrieval and reconsolidation of memories in the Perirhinal Cortex (PRH). However, how the mPFC output mediated by the 5-HT2aR activity is modulating memory retrieval in the PRH is a question that remains unclear. To tackle this question, we analyzed neuronal activity in the PRH and mPFC, by measuring expression of the immediate early gene c-Fos. We combined behavioral, pharmacological and immunohistochemical techniques to examine how mPFC 5-HT2aR controls mPFC and the PRH activity. We found that blockade of mPFC 5-HT2aR increase the level of c-Fos expression in the PHR and that this increase correlates with animals´ performance in the task. We also found an increase in c-Fos expression in the mPFC after mPFC 5-HT2aR blockade that does not correlate with the animals´ behavioral response. However, these changes showed a significant correlation with those observed in the PRH. These results suggest that mPFC 5-HT2aR signaling may modulate the behavioral response during memory recall by controlling the neuronal activation in the PRH.