Non-Hebbian plasticity transforms transient experiences into lasting memories
Islam Faress,
Valentina Khalil,
Wen-Hsien Hou,
Andrea Moreno,
Niels Andersen,
Rosalina Fonseca,
Joaquin Piriz,
Marco Capogna,
Sadegh Nabavi
Affiliations
Islam Faress
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aahrus, Denmark; Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aahrus, Denmark; Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus University, Aahrus, Denmark
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aahrus, Denmark; DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aahrus, Denmark; Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus University, Aahrus, Denmark
Wen-Hsien Hou
Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Andrea Moreno
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aahrus, Denmark; DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aahrus, Denmark; Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus University, Aahrus, Denmark
Niels Andersen
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aahrus, Denmark; DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aahrus, Denmark; Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus University, Aahrus, Denmark
Rosalina Fonseca
Cellular and Systems Neurobiology, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
Joaquin Piriz
Instituto de Fisiología Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Marco Capogna
Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus University, Aahrus, Denmark
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aahrus, Denmark; DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aahrus, Denmark; Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus University, Aahrus, Denmark
The dominant models of learning and memory, such as Hebbian plasticity, propose that experiences are transformed into memories through input-specific synaptic plasticity at the time of learning. However, synaptic plasticity is neither strictly input-specific nor restricted to the time of its induction. The impact of such forms of non-Hebbian plasticity on memory has been difficult to test, and hence poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that synaptic manipulations can deviate from the Hebbian model of learning, yet produce a lasting memory. First, we established a weak associative conditioning protocol in mice, where optogenetic stimulation of sensory thalamic input to the amygdala was paired with a footshock, but no detectable memory was formed. However, when the same input was potentiated minutes before or after, or even 24 hr later, the associative experience was converted into a lasting memory. Importantly, potentiating an independent input to the amygdala minutes but not 24 hr after the pairing produced a lasting memory. Thus, our findings suggest that the process of transformation of a transient experience into a memory is neither restricted to the time of the experience nor to the synapses triggered by it; instead, it can be influenced by past and future events.
