1. β-Adrenoreceptor stimulation mediates reconsolidation of social reward-related memories
- Author
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Achterberg, E.J.M., Trezza, V., Vanderschuren, L.J.M.J., Emotion and Cognition, Dep of Animals in Science and Society, ASS E&C1, FAH E&C, Achterberg E. J. M.,, Trezza, Viviana, Vanderschuren, L. J. M. J., Emotion and Cognition, Dep of Animals in Science and Society, ASS E&C1, and FAH E&C
- Subjects
Male ,Emotions ,lcsh:Medicine ,Stimulation ,Social and Behavioral Sciences ,Behavioral Neuroscience ,0302 clinical medicine ,Cognition ,Learning and Memory ,Cognitive development ,Medicine ,Psychology ,lcsh:Science ,Cognitive impairment ,0303 health sciences ,Econometric and Statistical Methods: General ,Multidisciplinary ,Geneeskunde (GENK) ,Animal Models ,Neurotransmitters ,Memory consolidation ,psychological phenomena and processes ,Research Article ,Cognitive Neuroscience ,Positive memories ,Medical sciences ,03 medical and health sciences ,Model Organisms ,Reward ,Memory ,Receptors, Adrenergic, beta ,Animals ,Learning ,Social play ,Bescherming en bevordering van de menselijke gezondheid ,Geneeskunde(GENK) ,Rats, Wistar ,Biology ,030304 developmental biology ,Behavior ,business.industry ,lcsh:R ,Cognitive Psychology ,Drug administration ,General [Econometric and Statistical Methods] ,Animal Cognition ,Conditioned place preference ,Rats ,Rat ,lcsh:Q ,business ,Neuroscience ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
Background In recent years, the notion that consolidated memories become transiently unstable after retrieval and require reconsolidation to persist for later use has received strong experimental support. To date, the majority of studies on reconsolidation have focused on memories of negative emotions, while the dynamics of positive memories have been less well studied. Social play, the most characteristic social behavior displayed by young mammals, is important for social and cognitive development. It has strong rewarding properties, illustrated by the fact that it can induce conditioned place preference (CPP). In order to understand the dynamics of positive social memories, we evaluated the effect of propranolol, a β-adrenoreceptor antagonist known to influence a variety of memory processes, on acquisition, consolidation, retrieval and reconsolidation of social play-induced CPP in adolescent rats. Methodology/Principal Findings Systemic treatment with propranolol, immediately before or after a CPP test (i.e. retrieval session), attenuated CPP 24 h later. Following extinction, CPP could be reinstated in saline- but not in propranolol-treated rats, indicating that propranolol treatment had persistently disrupted the CPP memory trace. Propranolol did not affect social play-induced CPP in the absence of memory retrieval or when administered 1 h or 6 h after retrieval. Furthermore, propranolol did not affect acquisition, consolidation or retrieval of social play-induced CPP. Conclusions/Significance We conclude that β-adrenergic neurotransmission selectively mediates the reconsolidation, but not other processes involved in the storage and stability of social reward-related memories in adolescent rats. These data support the notion that consolidation and reconsolidation of social reward-related memories in adolescent rats rely on distinct neural mechanisms.
- Published
- 2012