Spontaneous Recognition in Rats: Synaptic Plasticity and Neurodevelopmental Challenge

..................................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...........................................................................................iv. TABLE OF CONTENTS ..............................................................................................v. LIST OF TABLES .........................................................................................................ix. LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................x. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .......................................................................................xi. 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................1 1.1. Learning and Memory ................................................................................1 1.2. Definition and Characteristics of Recognition Memory .............................1 1.3. Animal Preparations of Recognition Memory.............................................3 1.4. Mechanisms of Recognition Memory .........................................................5 1.4.1. Brain Regions of Interest ..............................................................5 1.4.2. Cortical Anatomy and Connections of Perirhinal Cortex .............6 1.4.3. Neurobiological Substrates of Recognition Memory....................11 1.5. Implications of Studying Recognition Memory for Mental Illness.............16 1.5.1. Neurodevelopmental Disease and Appropriate Models ...............17 1.5.2. Disrupted Synaptic Plasticity in Key Brain Regions ....................18 1.6. Study Design and Hypothesis......................................................................19 1.6.1. Experiment 1 .................................................................................19 1.6.2. Experiment 2 .................................................................................20 2. EXPERIMENT 1: AMPA RECEPTOR ENDOCYTOSIS IN RAT PERIRHINAL CORTEX UNDERLIES THE RETRIEVAL OF OBJECT MEMORY .........................................21 2.