Interactions between learning and memory systems in the mammal

哺乳动物大脑中已识别的学习和记忆系统的异常，它们之间动态相互作用的变化，以及这些系统与其他大脑区域之间相互作用的改变，可能会介导思想和行为的异常表现。尽管这一观点具有潜在的解释力，但仍存在重大挑战，包括普遍缺乏有关这些关联的性质、所涉及的神经回路、它们之间发生的相互作用以及可塑性机制在这些过程中的作用的信息。目前的研究计划直接对解开这些复杂的大脑过程感兴趣，通过利用一个突破性的范式来评估不同系统在同一任务中获得的不同类型的记忆。本研究计划的具体目标有三个：1)提供进一步的证据，证明这些系统之间的竞争相互作用代表了竞争相互作用的一个新子类的例子。这一目标将通过运行保留和逆转实验来实现，在这些实验中，其中一个神经结构将在获得任务后被破坏，或者一组使用训练后记忆巩固范式的实验，其中假设的必要关联与偶然关联将被操纵；2)了解在训练过程中不同时间阻断这些系统NMDA可塑性的后果。这一目标将通过评估训练后，在视觉辨别任务习得过程中，对背纹状体、杏仁核或海马的局部NMDA （CPP）阻断的影响来实现。3)获得在训练过程中不同时间在这些系统中阻断新蛋白质合成的后果的信息。综上所述，这些实验将为我们提供一个窗口，了解这些神经系统彼此之间的动态和互动性质，并提供有关支持这些复杂大脑功能的可塑性机制和这些过程定位的重要信息。

Abnormalities in identified learning and memory systems in the mammalian brain, changes in dynamic interactions between them, and alterations in interactions between these systems and other brain areas might mediate abnormal manifestations of thought and behaviour. Despite the potential explanatory power of this view, there are significant challenges that lie ahead including a general lack of information about the nature of these associations, the neural circuits involved, what kind of interactions occur between them, and the role of plasticity mechanisms in these processes. The current research proposal is directly interested in unraveling these complex brain processes by utilizing a breakthrough paradigm for assessing different types of memories acquired by different systems on the same task. The specific aims of this research program are threefold: 1) provide further evidence that the competitive interactions between these systems represent examples of a novel subclass of competitive interactions. This aim will be achieved by running retention and reversal experiments in which one of these neural structures will be damaged after acquisition of the task or a set of experiments using the post-training memory consolidation paradigm in which the hypothesized necessary versus incidental associations will be manipulated; 2) gain an understanding of the consequences of blocking NMDA plasticity in these systems at different times during training. This aim will be achieved by assessing the effects of post-training, localized NMDA (CPP) blockade in the dorsal striatum, amygdala, or hippocampus during acquisition of the visual discrimination task. 3) obtain information about the consequences of blocking new protein synthesis in these same systems at different times during training. Taken together, these experiments will give us a window into the dynamic and interactive nature of these neural systems with each other and provide important information about plasticity mechanisms supporting these complex brain functions and the localization of these processes.