A neuronal analogue of state-dependent learning

D. E. Shulz (), R. Sosnik, V. Ego, S. Haidarliu and E. Ahissar
Additional contact information
D. E. Shulz: Equipe Cognisciences, UNIC, Institut A. Fessard, CNRS
R. Sosnik: The Weizmann Institute of Science
V. Ego: Equipe Cognisciences, UNIC, Institut A. Fessard, CNRS
S. Haidarliu: The Weizmann Institute of Science
E. Ahissar: The Weizmann Institute of Science

Nature, 2000, vol. 403, issue 6769, 549-553

Abstract: Abstract State-dependent learning is a phenomenon in which the retrieval of newly acquired information is possible only if the subject is in the same sensory context and physiological state as during the encoding phase1. In spite of extensive behavioural and pharmacological characterization2, no cellular counterpart of this phenomenon has been reported. Here we describe a neuronal analogue of state-dependent learning in which cortical neurons show an acetylcholine-dependent expression of an acetylcholine-induced functional plasticity. This was demonstrated on neurons of rat somatosensory ‘barrel’ cortex, whose tunings to the temporal frequency of whisker deflections were modified by cellular conditioning. Pairing whisker stimulation with acetylcholine applied iontophoretically yielded selective lasting modification of responses, the expression of which depended on the presence of exogenous acetylcholine. Administration of acetylcholine during testing revealed frequency-specific changes in response that were not expressed when tested without acetylcholine or when the muscarinic antagonist, atropine, was applied concomitantly. Our results suggest that both acquisition and recall can be controlled by the cortical release of acetylcholine.

Date: 2000
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/35000586 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:nature:v:403:y:2000:i:6769:d:10.1038_35000586

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/

DOI: 10.1038/35000586

Access Statistics for this article

Nature is currently edited by Magdalena Skipper

More articles in Nature from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().