The Amygdala Modulates Declarative Memory for a Novel Object Recognition Task Open Access

Partain, Kristin Nicole (2011)

Permanent URL: https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/9c67wn30s?locale=en
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Abstract

Abstract


The Amygdala Modulates Declarative Memory for a Novel Object Recognition Task


By Kristin Partain


Emotionally arousing events are remembered better than neutral events, and projections from the
amygdala to the hippocampal memory system are thought to be a central pathway in the neural
circuitry underlying this enhancement for emotional memory. However, it is not known precisely
how the amygdala modulates neural activity in the hippocampal memory system to facilitate
ongoing processes related to memory storage. The goal of our project was to better understand
how the amygdala modulates hippocampal-dependent, declarative memory. Previous studies
have successfully modulated declarative memory through electrical and pharmacological
stimulation; however, these paradigms involved prolonged activation of the amygdala for the
entire training session. The present study addresses this issue by refining a method of very
briefly electrically stimulating the amygdala with precise timing in hopes of targeting the neural
connection between the basal nucleus of the basolateral complex of the amygdala and the
hippocampus at only the moments in which the to-be-enhanced objects are encountered by the
rats. Rats performed a novel object recognition task in which they freely examined non-
stimulated objects and objects paired with electrical stimulation. The main finding of the present
novel object recognition task is that after a one day retention period, rats remembered objects
paired with stimulation; whereas, rats did not remember objects not paired with stimulation after
a one day retention period.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Enhancement of Declarative Memory for Arousing Events 2
Amygdala Activity Increases with Acquisition of Declarative Memory for Emotionally Arousing Stimuli 3
Amygdala Damage Attenuates the Enhanced Recall of Emotionally Arousing Stimuli 3
Basolateral Complex of the Amygdala Modulates Declarative Memory for Arousing Stimuli 4
Basolateral Complex of the Amygdala Modulates Declarative Memory for Non-Arousing Stimuli 5
Memory Consolidation 6
My Honors Thesis 7
Method 7
Results 12
Discussion 14
References 18
Figures 21
Figure 1. Schematic of track and platform locations 21
Figure 2. Schematic of the Novel Object Recognition Task Paradigm 22
Figure 3. Mean of the Medians for Absolute Time of Object Investigation (n=5) 23
Figure 4. Mean of the Novel Object Discrimination Index Scores (n=5) 24

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