Associative Learning Drives the Formation of Silent Synapses in Neuronal Ensembles of the Nucleus Accumbens.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Learned associations between environmental stimuli and rewards play a critical role in addiction. Associative learning requires alterations in sparsely distributed populations of strongly activated neurons, or neuronal ensembles. Until recently, assessment of functional alterations underlying learned behavior was restricted to global neuroadaptations in a particular brain area or cell type, rendering it impossible to identify neuronal ensembles critically involved in learned behavior.

Methods

We used Fos-GFP transgenic mice that contained a transgene with a Fos promoter driving expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) to detect neurons that were strongly activated during associative learning, in this case, context-independent and context-specific cocaine-indu

SUBMITTER: Whitaker LR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4753139 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature