Neural substrates of declarative-like memory in rats

哺乳动物的记忆是一个错综复杂的认知过程，涉及不同类型信息的整合。该研究计划强调陈述性记忆（对事实和事件的记忆）在大脑中的分层和分布性质。大鼠将被用来研究陈述性记忆的各个方面的神经生物学基础，包括如何在不同的大脑区域处理不同类型的信息以形成复杂的记忆。提出的研究的主要兴趣是对象识别记忆的神经基础。这一行为任务将用于研究陈述性记忆获得、巩固和检索的解剖学、药理学和分子基础。此外，基本目标识别任务的变化将被用来引入越来越复杂的水平，以促进在高阶陈述性记忆服务中的信息整合研究。这种方法不仅有可能对陈述性记忆的“构建模块”提供深刻的见解，而且有可能对阿尔茨海默病等神经退行性疾病中记忆力的逐渐衰退提供深刻的见解，在这种疾病中，相当特定的记忆缺陷（例如，不能识别物体，如面孔）扩展为更明显的全面健忘症，影响自传体和事实记忆的各个方面。

Mammalian memory is an intricate and complex cognitive process involving the integration of disparate types of information. The research proposal emphasizes the hierarchical and distributed nature of declarative memory (memory for facts and events) in the brain. Rats will be used to study the neurobiological underpinnings of various aspects of declarative memory, including how different types of information processed in different brain regions are integrated to form complex memories. A primary interest of the proposed research is the neural basis of object recognition memory. This behavioural task will be used to study the anatomical, pharmacological, and molecular bases of declarative memory acquisition, consolidation, and retrieval. Moreover, variations on the basic object recognition task will be used to introduce increasing levels of complexity to facilitate the study of information integration in the service of higher-order declarative memories. This approach has the potential to provide great insight into not only the 'building blocks' of declarative memory, but also the progressive decline of memory in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, in which rather specific memory deficits (e.g., failing to recognize objects such as faces) expand into a much more marked global amnesia affecting all aspects of autobiographical and factual memory.