Sunday, February 5, 2017

Week 3

I truly enjoyed this weeks papers because to me, optogenetics is one of the most amazing techniques out there, and I think Ramirez et al. 2013 and Ramirez et al. 2015 used it extremely well. To see the advancements that one group of scientists makes over a couple of years is impressive and it is interesting to see how they use optogenetics more intricately as they learn more about it.

In regards to the 2013 paper, I found it interesting how they mentioned an experiment done previously that could only retrieve a synthetic memory when the models were exposed to both contexts. The CA1 cell manipulations Ramirez et al. performed did not result in creating a false memory, potentially because of the large overlap of activated cells, but looking back to the study mentioned, I would be curious to see if exposing the CA1 manipulated mice to a combined environment of context A and B would succeed in creating a false memory. In the 2015 paper, I found it interesting that the anxiety related behaviors were not rescued when positive memory engrams were activated. According to the results, activation of the DG does not suppress anxiety related behaviors, and I would be curious if stimulation of a different part of the hippocampus could.  I also thought it was interesting that stimulating a positive memory had a stronger effect than exposing a mouse to a naturally positive experience. Could the positive memory activate a stronger reward response than a present positive experience to a depressed brain? Does it matter if the positive memory occurred during a period of depression or is it stronger if it was experienced during a period without depressive behaviors?

The findings of both papers open many doors in the field of memories and their potential to be used for treatments. Using a similar method as they did in 2013 to create a false fear memory, they could potentially create a false positive memory, and then see if activation of the false positive memory would have the same rescuing effects that a previous positive memory had. Also, addressing our continuous conversation about accurate animal models of depression, I wonder if performing the same experiment from the 2015 paper on susceptible mice (as seen in Chaudhury et al.) would have the same affect as it did on mice in the CIS paradigm.


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