The structural and functional properties of neurons have intrigued scientists since the pioneering work of Santiago Ramón y Cajal. Since then, emerging cutting-edge technologies, including light and electron microscopy, electrophysiology, biochemistry, optogenetics, and molecular biology, have dramatically increased our understanding of dendritic properties. This advancement was also facilitated by the establishment of different animal model organisms, from flies to mammals. Here we describe the emerging model system of a Caenorhabditis elegans polymodal neuron named PVD, whose dendritic tree follows a stereotypical structure characterized by repeating candelabra-like structural units. In the past decade, progress has been made in understanding PVD's functions, morphogenesis, regeneration, and aging, yet many questions still remain.

Learning of novel information, including novel taste, requires activation of neuromodulatory transmission mediated, for example, by the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) in relevant brain structures. In addition, drugs enhancing the function of mAChRs are used to treat memory impairment and decline. However, the mechanisms underlying these effects are poorly understood. Here, using quantitative RT-PCR in Wistar Hola rats, we found quinone reductase 2 (QR2) to be expressed in the cortex in an mAChR-dependent manner. QR2 mRNA expression in the insular cortex is inversely correlated with mAChR activation both endogenously, after novel taste learning, and exogenously, after pharmacological manipulation of the muscarinic transmission. Moreover, reducing QR2 expression levels through lentiviral shRNA vectors or activity via inhibitors is sufficient to enhance long-term memories. We also show here that, in patients with Alzheimer's disease, QR2 is overexpressed in the cortex. It is suggested that QR2 expression in the cortex is a removable limiting factor of memory formation and thus serves as a new target to enhance cognitive function and delay the onset of neurodegenerative diseases.

Biochemical, electrophysiological, and imaging studies suggest that the anterior part of the insular cortex (IC) serves as primary taste cortex, whereas fMRI studies in human propose that the anterior IC is also involved in processing of general novelty or saliency information. Here, we compared activity regulated cytoskeleton associated protein (Arc)/Arg3.1 protein levels in the rat IC following administration of familiar versus novel tastes. Surprisingly, there was no correlation between novel taste and Arc/Arg3.1 levels when measured as the sum of both left and right insular cortices. However, when left and right IC were examined separately, Arc/Arg3.1 level was lateralized following novel taste learning. Moreover, Arc/Arg3.1 lateralization was inversely correlated with taste familiarity, whereas the high lateralization of Arc/Arg3.1 expression observed following novel taste learning is reduced proportionally to the increment in taste familiarity. In addition, unilateral inhibition of protein synthesis in the IC had asymmetrical effect on memory, inducing strong memory impairment similarly to bilateral inhibition or memory preservation, indicating that hemispheric lateralization is central for processing taste saliency information. These results provide indications, at the gene level of expression, for the role of IC lateralization in processing novel taste information and for the asymmetrical contribution of protein synthesis in each hemisphere during memory consolidation.

The current dogma suggests that the formation of long-term memory (LTM) is dependent on protein synthesis but persistence of the memory trace is not. However, many of the studies examining the effect of protein synthesis inhibitors (PSIs) on LTM persistence were performed in the hippocampus, which is known to have a time-dependent role in memory storage, rather than the cortex, which is considered to be the main structure to store long-term memories. Here we studied the effect of PSIs on LTM formation and persistence in male Wistar Hola (n ≥ 5) rats by infusing the protein synthesis inhibitor, anisomycin (100 μg, 1 μl), into the gustatory cortex (GC) during LTM formation and persistence in conditioned taste aversion (CTA). We found that local anisomycin infusion to the GC before memory acquisition impaired LTM formation (P = 8.9E − 5), but had no effect on LTM persistence when infused 3 days post acquisition (P = 0.94). However, when we extended the time interval between treatment with anisomycin and testing from 3 days to 14 days, LTM persistence was enhanced (P = 0.01). The enhancement was on the background of stable and non-declining memory, and was not recapitulated by another amnesic agent, APV (10 μg, 1 μl), an N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist (P = 0.54). In conclusion, CTA LTM remains sensitive to the action of PSIs in the GC even 3 days following memory acquisition. This sensitivity is differentially expressed between the formation and persistence of LTM, suggesting that increased cortical protein synthesis promotes LTM formation, whereas decreased protein synthesis promotes LTM persistence.

BackgroundNovel taste memories, critical for animal survival, are consolidated to form long term memories which are dependent on translation regulation in the gustatory cortex (GC) hours following acquisition. However, the role of transcription regulation in the process is unknown.ResultsHere, we report that transcription in the GC is necessary for taste learning in rats, and that drinking and its consequences, as well as the novel taste experience, affect transcription in the GC during taste memory consolidation. We show differential effects of learning on temporal dynamics in set of genes in the GC, including Arc/Arg3.1, known to regulate the homeostasis of excitatory synapses.ConclusionsWe demonstrate that in taste learning, transcription programs were activated following the physiological responses (i.e., fluid consumption following a water restriction regime, reward, arousal of the animal, etc.) and the specific information about a given taste (i.e., taste novelty). Moreover, the cortical differential prolonged kinetics of mRNA following novel versus familiar taste learning may represent additional novelty related molecular response, where not only the total amount, but also the temporal dynamics of transcription is modulated by sensory experience of novel information.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13041-016-0188-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.