Gene Expression Underlying Long-Term Memory in Discrete Lateral Amygdala Neurons: A Microarray and Laser Capture Microdissection Study

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Lay abstract Memory is generally believed to involve alterations in the ease with which neurons communicate with one another across synapses. These alterations in turn are made possible by the production of proteins under the guidance of genes. A major impediment to the identification of the relevant genes is the lack of information about which neurons and synapses are involved. In the case of memory formed by fear conditioning, the crucial synapses are believed to be in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala. Armed with this information, it should be possible to use the recently developed microarray technique to screen genes that are activated during memory formation. This approach, when combined with another recently developed tool, laser captured microdissection, should provide a powerful means for probing gene expression in specific cells in the amygdala that change during memory formation. The findings may also be relevant to other forms of memory subserved by other brain regions since existing data indicate that common molecular pathways are involved in different forms of learning and memory.