The study of the strengthening function of the reconsolidation process and the effect of the temporal mismatch in the reminder structure in the crab Neohelice granulata

MARIA AGUSTINA LOPEZ; FERNÁNDEZ RODRIGO S; PEDREIRA MARIA EUGENIA

Cordoba

Congreso; XXVIII Congreso Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Neurociencias; 2013

Sociedad Argentina de Neurociencias

After being consolidated through the presentation of a specific reminder, reactivated old memories become labile and again susceptible to amnesic agents. Such vulnerability diminishes with the progress of time and implies a re-stabilization phase, usually referred to as reconsolidation. This process is only triggered under certain circumstances. The discrepancy between actual and past events (mismatch), is the key factor of this process. One of the biological roles described for the reconsolidation implies that labilization-reconsolidation process strengthens the original memory. Our laboratory has demonstrated in crabs and humans that the reconsolidation is triggered when the reminder includes a mismatch. Moreover we have also demonstrated the strengthening function for a declarative memory in humans. In this framework, the goal of this research consists: 1) To study the strengthening by repeated labilization-reconsolidation process of the associative contextual memory in the crab Neohelice granulata. To reach such objective we will use the Contextual Pavlovian Conditioning protocol (CPC). Experiments will be perform combining pharmacologic-behavioral variables such as type of training protocols (weak, medium and strong), number of re-exposure to the CS or intersession interval. 2) To analyze the possibility of triggering reconsolidation by a temporal mismatch. Experiments will include changing of the temporal relation between the CS and US during the reminder presentation.