NF-kappa B activation during appetitive and aversive long-term memory consolidation in the inhibitory avoidance paradigm in mice

ANGELES SALLES; MARIA DEL CARMEN KRAWCZYK; MARIANO BLAKE; ARTURO ROMANO; MARIANO BOCCIA; RAMIRO FREUDENTHAL

San Diego

Congreso; SFN 2016 sesion 686 - Mechanisms of Synaptic and Neuronal Plasticity; 2016

Society for Neuroscience

NFkB is a transcription factor whose activation has been shown to be necessary for long-term memory consolidation in several species. NFkB is activated in the nucleus of cells in a specific temporal window during consolidation. Previous results showed that the transcription factor is also present at the synapse and is activated during consolidation at different time points than in the nucleus. Our work focuses on the mouse inhibitory avoidance learning paradigm. In this paradigm mice are placed on an illuminated platform with an entrance to a dark compartment; the experimental group receives an electric shock when entering the dark compartment. Delay on entering the compartment is evaluated 48hrs later. The behavioral control group consists of mice who experience the same context as the experimental group but do not receive an electric shock; 48hrs later this group of mice do not show a delay to enter the compartment. Nonetheless when analyzing the activation of NF-kB we found that this group of mice has elevated activation when comparing to naïve. Furthermore, animals who receive a shock without being exposed to the platform show no delay in entering the dark compartment 48hrs post training and no activation of NFkB. We argue that the mice who don?t receive the shock might perceive it as a relief (an appetitive learning situation), where they associate the context with a safe place and that this information may not be discriminated by the hippocampus. This appetitive memory can be impaired with an NFkB inhibitor (Sulfasalazine) injected directly into the hippocampus. Moreover we explore the role of the Amygdala and the Nucleus Accumbens in this paradigm for both the appetitive and aversive situations. This work aims to discuss these results and further investigate how appetitive and aversive memories are consolidated.