- Record: found
- Abstract: not found
- Article: not found
The Essential Role of Hippocampal CA1 NMDA Receptor–Dependent Synaptic Plasticity in Spatial Memory
Read this article at
There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.
Abstract
We have produced a mouse strain in which the deletion of the NMDAR1 gene is restricted
to the CA1 pyramidal cells of the hippocampus by using a new and general method that
allows CA1-restricted gene knockout. The mutant mice grow into adulthood without obvious
abnormalities. Adult mice lack NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic currents and long-term
potentiation in the CA1 synapses and exhibit impaired spatial memory but unimpaired
nonspatial learning. Our results strongly suggest that activity-dependent modifications
of CA1 synapses, mediated by NMDA receptors, play an essential role in the acquisition
of spatial memories.