Engram cells retain memory under retrograde amnesia

• Main Authors: Ryan, Tomas John (Contributor), Roy, Dheeraj (Contributor), Pignatelli di Spinazzola, Michele (Contributor), Arons, Autumn (Contributor), Tonegawa, Susumu (Contributor)
• Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology (Contributor), Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences (Contributor), Picower Institute for Learning and Memory (Contributor), tonegawa, susumu (Contributor)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2017-04-11T19:23:09Z.
• Subjects: Article
• Online Access: Get fulltext

 Memory consolidation is the process by which a newly formed and unstable memory transforms into a stable long-term memory. It is unknown whether the process of memory consolidation occurs exclusively through the stabilization of memory engrams. By using learning-dependent cell labeling, we identified an increase of synaptic strength and dendritic spine density specifically in consolidated memory engram cells. Although these properties are lacking in engram cells under protein synthesis inhibitor-induced amnesia, direct optogenetic activation of these cells results in memory retrieval, and this correlates with retained engram cell-specific connectivity. We propose that a specific pattern of connectivity of engram cells may be crucial for memory information storage and that strengthened synapses in these cells critically contribute to the memory retrieval process.