Episodic-like memory and the rat hippocampus

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A fundamental aspect of memory is the ability to store and retrieve events in a context. Here context means linkages among where, when, and what events occurred. The human hippocampus has been strongly linked to these memory processes, termed episodic memory.We will explore versions of a new memory task involving one-trial Pavlovian learning that includes linkages among spatial and temporal contextual elements to evaluate episodic-like memory abilities in rats. We will determine the extent to which these tasks depend upon the integrity and plasticity of hippocampal circuitry. Finally, we will evaluate the extent of functional interconnection of hippocampus and related networks in episodic-like memory using a combination of behavioural activation of immediate early genes and selective neurotoxic damage. The results will clarify two poorly understood processes: episodic-like memory in nonhuman mammals and the neural systems processing that support it.