Amygdala and Prefrontal Control of the Rhinal Cortices

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The rhinal cortices play a critical role in declarative memory and constitute the main route for impulse traffic between the hippocampus and cortex. However, physiological data suggests that the rhinal cortices are not a passive relay station; neocortical and entorhinal inputs are transmitted with a low probability. The goal of the research described here is to assess whether and how the inhibitory mechanisms that limit impulse propagation through the rhinal cortices are lifted. One possibility is that this could occur during emotionally arousing conditions, when declarative memory is generally enhanced. Both the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex project heavily to the rhinal cortices, and both are implicated in the facilitation of memory by emotions. Both extracellular and intracellular recordings in vivo in anesthetized cats will assess the ability of the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex to facilitate impulse transfer through the rhinal cortices.