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，涉及整合不同类型的信息。该研究方案强调了大脑中陈述性记忆(对事实和事件的记忆)的层次性和分布性。大鼠将被用来研究陈述性记忆各个方面的神经生物学基础，包括不同大脑区域处理的不同类型的信息是如何整合形成复杂记忆的。该研究的一个主要兴趣是物体识别记忆的神经基础。这项行为任务将被用来研究陈述性记忆获得、巩固和提取的解剖学、药理学和分子基础。此外，基本物体识别任务的变化将被用来引入越来越高的复杂性水平，以促进在更高阶陈述性记忆服务中的信息整合的研究。这种方法不仅有可能深入了解陈述性记忆的“积木”，而且还可以深入了解阿尔茨海默病等神经退行性疾病中记忆的进行性下降，在这种疾病中，相当特定的记忆缺陷(例如，无法识别面孔等物体)会扩展为一种更明显的全局性健忘症，影响自传体记忆和事实记忆的所有方面。

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.