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

普通人的抽象记忆通常被认为涉及神经元通过突触相互交流的容易程度的变化。这些变化反过来又是通过在基因的指导下产生蛋白质来实现的。识别相关基因的一个主要障碍是缺乏涉及哪些神经元和突触的信息。在由恐惧条件作用形成的记忆中，关键的突触被认为位于杏仁核的外侧核。有了这些信息，应该可以使用最近开发的微阵列技术来筛选在记忆形成过程中被激活的基因。这种方法与另一种最近开发的工具激光捕获显微解剖相结合，应该会提供一种强有力的手段来探测杏仁核特定细胞中在记忆形成过程中发生变化的基因表达。这些发现也可能与其他大脑区域所支持的其他形式的记忆有关，因为现有数据表明，共同的分子途径涉及不同形式的学习和记忆。

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.