Infant avoidance training alters cellular activation patterns in prefronto-limbic circuits during adult avoidance learning: I. Cellular imaging of neurons expressing the synaptic plasticity early growth response protein 1 (Egr1)

摘要: Both positive feedback learning and negative are essential for adapting optimizing behavioral performance. There is increasing evidence in humans animals that the ability of emerges postnatally. Our work rats, using a two-way active avoidance task (TWA) as an experimental paradigm learning, revealed medial lateral prefrontal regions infant rats undergo dramatic synaptic reorganization during training, resulting improved adulthood. The aim this study was to identify changes cellular activation patterns course training relation pretraining. We applied quantitative imaging technique immunocytochemical detection activity marker early growth response protein 1 (Egr1) candidate contributing learning-induced plasticity. found region-specific patterns, which indicate acquisition phase, Egr1 expression specifically elevated ensembles orbitofrontal, dorsal anterior cingulate hippocampal CA1 region. During memory retrieval dentate gyrus. Moreover, we, first time, show here TWA infancy alters adult learning- memory-related these brain regions. It tempting speculate specific Egr1-expressing “tagged” representing long-term formation, cell may be reactivated learning.