Post-training Inactivation of the Anterior Thalamic Nuclei Impairs Spatial Performance on the Radial Arm Maze
Post-training Inactivation of the Anterior Thalamic Nuclei Impairs Spatial Performance on the Radial Arm Maze
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DOI：
10.3389/fnins.2017.00094
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发表时间：
2017-03-06
影响因子：
4.3
通讯作者：
Clark, Benjamin J.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Harvey, Ryan E.;Thompson, Shannon M.;Clark, Benjamin J.
丘脑边缘系统，特别是丘脑前核（ATN），包含大脑信号，包括头部方向细胞的信号，其作为动物在环境中的方向取向的函数而发射。最近的工作表明，这种方向性的取向信息来自ATN有助于产生海马和海马旁的空间表示，并可能有助于建立独特的空间表示在径向定向的任务，如径向臂迷宫。虽然以前的研究表明，ATN病变可以损害空间工作记忆的性能在径向迷宫，很少的工作已经做了调查空间参考记忆的歧视任务的变体。此外，虽然以前的研究表明，ATN病变会损害在径向迷宫中的表现，这些研究产生的ATN病变之前的培训。因此，尚不清楚ATN病变是否破坏了径向迷宫性能的获得或保留。在这里，我们测试的作用ATN信号在以前学习的空间辨别任务的径向臂迷宫。首先在任务中将大鼠训练至渐近水平，其中两个迷宫臂在训练中始终被诱饵。24小时后，动物接受蝇蕈醇灭活ATN，然后进行4次试验探针测试。我们报告在失活后试验中的损伤，表明来自ATN的信号调节了先前在径向臂迷宫中获得的空间辨别力的使用。结果进行了讨论，在空间信息处理中所涉及的丘脑-皮层边缘电路，重点是头部方向信号。
The limbic thalamus, specifically the anterior thalamic nuclei (ATN), contains brain signals including that of head direction cells, which fire as a function of an animal's directional orientation in an environment. Recent work has suggested that this directional orientation information stemming from the ATN contributes to the generation of hippocampal and parahippocampal spatial representations, and may contribute to the establishment of unique spatial representations in radially oriented tasks such as the radial arm maze. While previous studies have shown that ATN lesions can impair spatial working memory performance in the radial maze, little work has been done to investigate spatial reference memory in a discrimination task variant. Further, while previous studies have shown that ATN lesions can impair performance in the radial maze, these studies produced the ATN lesions prior to training. It is therefore unclear whether the ATN lesions disrupted acquisition or retention of radial maze performance. Here, we tested the role of ATN signaling in a previously learned spatial discrimination task on a radial arm maze. Rats were first trained to asymptotic levels in a task in which two maze arms were consistently baited across training. After 24 h, animals received muscimol inactivation of the ATN before a 4 trial probe test. We report impairments in post-inactivation trials, suggesting that signals from the ATN modulate the use of a previously acquired spatial discrimination in the radial-arm maze. The results are discussed in relation to the thalamo-cortical limbic circuits involved in spatial information processing, with an emphasis on the head direction signal.