2015 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Optogenetic dissection of hypothalamic modulation of hippocampal memory
| Project/Area Number |
15K14357
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| Research Institution | Institute of Physical and Chemical Research |
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Principal Investigator |
McHugh Thomas 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 脳科学総合研究センター, チームリーダー (50553731)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2015-04-01 – 2017-03-31
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| Keywords | Social memory / hypothalamus / hippocampus / CA2 |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
During FY2015 we completed two series of successful behavioral experiments that support both the sufficiency and necessity of the SuM to CA2 circuit in driving a social novelty response. Using optogenetics we demonstrated that terminal stimulation of the SuM projections in CA2 during social behavior inhibits the expression of social memory, suggesting that the SuM may serve as a signal of social novelty. In a complementary set of experiments we demonstrated that inhibition of CA2 projecting SuM neurons using pharmacogenetics prevented a natural social novelty response, indicating the necessity of this projection. We have also gathered a large amount of in vivo physiology data recording in the hippocampus during SuM optical activation. We are currently analyzing that data.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
The SuM/CA2 is progressing smoothly and will be the focus of our efforts for the remainder of the study. The work on the PVN/CA2 connections we proposed was scooped by a competing laboratory in a paper published in January 2016 (Mol Psychiatry. 2016 Jan 5. doi: 10.1038/mp.2015.189, thus we have abandoned this line of inquiry.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
During this fiscal year we will focus on the role of the SuM/CA2 pathway in driving aggressive and dominance behavior and complete the physiological analyses we have begun.
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