Hippocampal motor memory network reorganization depends on familiarity, not time

• Published in: Learning & memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) Vol. 30; no. 12; pp. 320 - 324
• Main Authors: Sullens, D Gregory, Nguyen, Phuoc, Gilley, Kayla, Wiffler, Madison B, Sekeres, Melanie J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press 01-12-2023
• Subjects: Animals; Brief Communication; c-Fos protein; Familiarity; Hippocampus; Hippocampus - metabolism; Memory; Memory, Long-Term; Mice; Rats; Rats, Long-Evans; Recognition, Psychology
• ISSN: 1549-5485; 1072-0502; 1549-5485
• DOI: 10.1101/lm.053792.123

There is debate as to whether a time-dependent transformation of the episodic-like memory network is observed for nonepisodic tasks, including procedural motor memory. To determine how motor memory networks reorganize with time and practice, mice performed a motor task in a straight alley maze for 1 d (recent), 20 d of continuous training (continuous), or testing 20 d after the original training (remote), and then regional c-Fos expression was assessed. Elevated hippocampal c-Fos accompanied remote, but not continuous, motor task retrieval after 20 d, suggesting that the hippocampus remains engaged for nonhabitual remote motor memory retrieval.