Research Project
3399034
This project is designed to take us closer to an understanding of the cell biological mechanisms of memory storage, a question of central theoretical and practical interest to neuroscience. It will use a well tried model for memory formation, that of passive avoidance learning (PAL) in the day old chick, whereby the bird learns to suppress a tendency to peck at a bright bead coated with a bitter tasting substance. The biochemical sequelae of PAL are known to include transient changes in receptor binding and longer lasting increases in incorporation of precursors into tubulin and synaptic membrane glycoproteins in a specific region of the chick forebrain. The present application is designed to use a multidisciplinary combination of behavioural, biochemical, morphological and immunological skills to test the hypotheses that: (i) the biochemical events consequent on training are localized to a specific brain region, the medial hyperstriatum ventrale (m.h.v.). (ii) They result in lasting changes in the structure, dimensions and possible numbers of synapses in the m.h.v. (iii) that particular glycoproteins of the junctional region of the synaptic membrane identifiable using monoclonal antibody techniques are involved in the response. It will also explore questions of: (i) possible lateralization of the biochemical and morphological changes (ii) relationships between the biochemical change and memory formation. Question (i) will be explored using 2-deoxyglucose autoradiographic mapping techniques (ii) by the use of semi-quantitative stereological analysis (iii) by a novel method for synaptic junction isolation, isotope labelling and monoclonal antibody methodology. Relation of biochemical change with memory processes will be examined by behavioural procedures that render the chick amnestic.
