The Involvement of the Anterior Cingulate Cortex in Remote Contextual Fear Memory

2004/05/06 by Paul W. Frankland, Bruno Bontempi, Lynn E. Talton +2 · 5 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Neuroscience · Psychology · #Anterior cingulate cortex #Cognition #Cortex (anatomy) #Hippocampus #Memory and Neural Mechanisms #Memory formation #Neuroscience #Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research #Psychology #Receptor Mechanisms and Signaling

paper · doi:10.1126/science.1094804

openalex publication_date 2004/05/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04

Abstract

Although the molecular, cellular, and systems mechanisms required for initial memory processing have been intensively investigated, those underlying permanent memory storage remain elusive. We present neuroanatomical, pharmacological, and genetic results demonstrating that the anterior cingulate cortex plays a critical role in remote memory for contextual fear conditioning. Imaging of activity-dependent genes shows that the anterior cingulate is activated by remote memory and that this activation is impaired by a null alpha-CaMKII mutation that blocks remote memory. Accordingly, reversible inactivation of this structure in normal mice disrupts remote memory without affecting recent memory.

Citations

• Retrograde amnesia and memory consolidation: a neurobiological perspective
• Temporally Structured Replay of Awake Hippocampal Ensemble Activity during Rapid Eye Movement Sleep
• An Integrative Theory of Prefrontal Cortex Function
• The Neurobiology of Consolidations, Or, How Stable is the Engram?

Cited by

• Copying and Evolution of Neuronal Topology
• Neural Basis of Observational Fear Learning: A Potential Model of Affective Empathy
• Optogenetic dissection of neural circuits underlying emotional valence and motivated behaviors
• The molecular and cellular basis of memory engrams: Mechanisms of synaptic and systems consolidation
• Long-term memory [wikipedia]