Cognition, Behavior, and Memory
Author: Fernanda Mariana Silva | Email: fernandamariana2305@gmail.com
Fernanda Mariana Silva1°, María Florencia Acutain1°,Luisina Castellari1°, Abril Muñoz1°, Verónica Baez1°2°
1° Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia (IBCN)-CONICET
2° 1UA de HIstología, Embriología, Biología Celular y Genética. Facultad de Medicina – UBA
N-methyl D-Aspartate receptors (NMDAR) are glutamate-gated ion channels that play a role in synaptic plasticity, memory, learning and neurodevelopment. NMDAR are classified into different subtypes according to their subunit composition. One of the most expressed subtypes in the adult brain is GluN2A-NMDAR. The expression of GluN2A subunit is essential for maturation, stabilization and refinement of synaptic connections. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of decreased GluN2A expression in the CA1 region of the dorsal hippocampus of Wistar rats. To this end, male and female young adult Wistar rats were injected with adeno-associated vectors containing a shRNA against GluN2A or a “scramble” sequence (AAV-shsc). After 14 DPI, a series of behavioral tasks were performed to evaluate spatial memories and social behavior. The results showed that animals injected with the AAV-sh2A (GluN2A-KD) exhibited differences in both spatial and social behavior. GluN2A-KD male rats, but not females, exhibited long-term spatial memories only when the tasks involved several days of training. Regarding social behavior, results showed that both male and female GluN2A-KD rats preserved the social interest. However, GluN2A-KD rats recognized a novel same-sex rat only in certain types of tasks. These results suggest that decreased GluN2A expression in the hippocampus of Wistar rats might lead to sex-dependent deficits in spatial memory, as well as an impairment in social recognition.