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Correlation of ventral hippocampus-medial prefrontal cortex functional connectivity during social memory encoding with social discrimination ability in rats–a field potential study and behavioral model of social memory
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Sana Barghi   , Javad Mirnajafi-Zadeh , Amir Shojaei *  |
| Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran |
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Abstract: (5 Views) |
Introduction: The ventral hippocampus (vHip) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are key brain regions involved in social memory formation. However, the functional interaction between these two areas during encounters with a novel conspecific and the subsequent formation of social memory is not fully understood. This study investigated the relationship between the functional connectivity of these two regions during social memory formation and subsequent social memory performance.
Methods: Male Wistar rats (weighing 260-270 g) underwent stereotaxic surgery for the implantation of electrodes into the vHip and mPFC. Following a recovery and habituation period, the animals were introduced to a novel conspecific for 10 minutes. Local field potentials were recorded from vHip and mPFC during social interaction in this period (social memory encoding phase) and frequency and time coupling between the two regions were calculated. Two hours later, a social memory test was conducted (social memory retrieval phase). A statistical correlation was then evaluated between the discrimination index from the social memory test and the degree of frequency and phase coupling that occurred during the initial interaction with the novel animal.
Results: The results revealed a significant correlation between the discrimination index and frequency coupling in various frequency bands. Furthermore, a significant correlation was found between the discrimination index and time coupling in the theta, beta, and fast gamma frequency bands.
Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that social memory encoding is likely mediated by dynamic interactions between the ventral hippocampus and mPFC, through various frequency bands.
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| Keywords: Social interaction, stereotaxic surgery, memory encoding, memory retrieval, ventral hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex, functional connectivity |
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Full-Text [PDF 839 kb]
(5 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Original Research |
Subject:
Neuroscience
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