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，涉及不同类型的信息的整合。该研究计划强调了陈述性记忆（对事实和事件的记忆）在大脑中的分层和分布性质。大鼠将被用于研究陈述性记忆各个方面的神经生物学基础，包括在不同大脑区域处理的不同类型的信息如何整合形成复杂的记忆。所提出的研究的主要兴趣是对象识别记忆的神经基础。这个行为任务将用于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，基本的对象识别任务的变化将被用来引入越来越多的复杂性，以促进在高阶陈述性记忆的服务信息整合的研究。这种方法不仅有可能深入了解陈述性记忆的“构建模块”，而且还可能深入了解神经退行性疾病（如阿尔茨海默病）中记忆的进行性衰退，其中相当具体的记忆缺陷（例如，无法识别物体，如面孔）扩展成一个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.