Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University College Station, TX, USA.
Front Syst Neurosci. 2011 Sep 26;5:79. doi: 10.3389/fnsys.2011.00079. eCollection 2011.
It is considered that memory consolidation is a progressive process that requires post-trial stabilization of the information. In this regard, it has been speculated that waves of receptors activation, expression of immediate early genes, and replenishment of receptor subunit pools occur to induce functional or morphological changes to maintain the information for longer periods. In this paper, we will review data related to neuronal changes in the post-acquisition stage of taste aversion learning that could be involved in further stabilization of the memory trace. In order to achieve such stabilization, evidence suggests that the functional integrity of the insular cortex (IC) and the amygdala (AMY) is required. Particularly the increase of extracellular levels of glutamate and activation of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors within the IC shows a main role in the consolidation process. Additionally the modulatory actions of the dopaminergic system in the IC appear to be involved in the mechanisms that lead to taste aversion memory consolidation through the activation of pathways related to enhancement of protein synthesis such as the Protein Kinase A pathway. In summary, we suggest that post-acquisition molecular and neuronal changes underlying memory consolidation are dependent on the interactions between the AMY and the IC.
人们认为记忆巩固是一个渐进的过程，需要在试验后稳定信息。在这方面，有人推测，受体激活波、即时早期基因表达和受体亚基池的补充会发生，以诱导功能或形态变化，从而使信息保持更长时间。在本文中，我们将回顾与味觉厌恶学习获取后阶段神经元变化相关的数据，这些变化可能涉及进一步稳定记忆痕迹。为了实现这种稳定，有证据表明需要岛叶皮层（IC）和杏仁核（AMY）的功能完整性。特别是，在 IC 内，细胞外谷氨酸水平的增加和 N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸（NMDA）受体的激活，在巩固过程中起着主要作用。此外，IC 中多巴胺能系统的调节作用似乎通过激活与蛋白质合成增强相关的途径，如蛋白激酶 A 途径，参与导致味觉厌恶记忆巩固的机制。总之，我们认为，记忆巩固的获取后分子和神经元变化依赖于 AMY 和 IC 之间的相互作用。
