Actin Cytoskeleton Dinamics in Fear Memory Reconsolidation

CANDELA MEDINA; VERÓNICA DE LA FUENTE; ARTURO ROMANO

Huerta Grande, Córdoba

Congreso; XXVIII Congreso de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Neurociencias & Reunión Satélite: ?Bases Neurales de la Conducta: Neuroetología y Neurobiología de la Memoria en el Cono Sur?; 2013

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Neurociencias

In its initial state memory is unstable and becomes enduring and stable by the process of consolidation. In contextual fear conditioning, once fear memory is consolidated a brief re-exposure to the training context induces memory reconsolidation. During reconsolidation, memory is stabilized as in the initial consolidation. Dendritic spines are small actin-rich protrusions from neuronal dendrites that form the postsynaptic part of most excitatory synapses and are major sites of information processing and storage in the brain. Changes in the shape and in the density of dendritic spines are correlated with the strength of excitatory synaptic connections and heavily depend on remodeling of its underlying actin cytoskeleton. Some evidence suggests that the regulation morphology and density of dendritic spines plays a key role in memory consolidation. However, the regulation of spine dynamics in reconsolidation is unknown. We project to study the actin dynamic between the monomer form, G-actin, and the actin filaments, F-actin, in the hippocampus during memory reconsolidation. We aim to study the role of ADF/cofilin inducing the formation of G-actin and LIMK kinase in the formation of F-actin. Besides we are studying the effect on memory reconsolidation of drugs such as latunculin A that inhibits the formation of F-actin. These studies may help us understand the nature of reconsolidation at the molecular level.