Cognition, Behavior, and Memory
Author: luciano cavallino | Email: lcavallino@hotmail.com
Luciano Cavallino1°, Sofia Belforte1°,Luz Bavassi1°, Maria Eugenia Pedreira1°
1° Laboratorio de Neurociencias de la memoria, Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Memory consolidation transforms a short-term labile trace into a stable and long-lasting one. Retrieving a consolidated memory can trigger different processes depending on how the cues associated with the original experience (reminders) are presented. Indeed, memories can be reactivated by the cues (reminders) presented during acquisition. We used a threat conditioning protocol, which implied the association between an angry face (conditioned stimulus, CS) and an aversive sound (unconditioned stimulus, US). This study aims to find neural markers of the post-retrieval process triggered by the presentation of the CS 24 hours after acquisition. In this sense, we analyzed the resting state before and after the reminder is presented through electroencephalogram recordings. We compared a group exposed to threat conditioning on the first day (experimental) and a control group that wasn’t previously conditioned. We found that the experimental group showed higher alpha activity after the reminder presentation. Previous research demonstrated the importance of alpha oscillations in the encoding and retrieval of episodic memories. In this work, we present evidence as a first step toward describing the neural correlates underlying post-retrieval processes in a threat conditioning protocol.