Year: 2019
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Episodic memory is defined by the temporal ordering of events, yet, how events occurring close together in time become integrated remains unclear. Evidence from previous studies indicate that increased excitability biases neuronal allocation to a memory trace and that following a learning event, the excitability of allocated neurons remains enhanced for 6 hours. This period of increased excitability provides a window during which additional experiences can become co- allocated to same population. This population overlap has previously been demonstrated to underlie memory integration between two fearful events (Rashid et al., 2016). Here, we demonstrate that an unrelated stimulus can also become integrated into a recently formed fearful memory if animals are exposed to the stimulus within the 6-hour window, effectively forming a false memory where animals display fear to a previously neutral stimulus. These effects were then reversed using optogenetics, suggesting that integration is critically dependent on neuronal excitability.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Jocelyn Lau
Language: English
Topic: Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3210844854