Lifelong reductions of PKMζ in ventral hippocampus of nonhuman primates exposed to early-life adversity due to unpredictable maternal care

Sasha L. Fulton, Changchi Hsieh, Tobias Atkin, Ryan Norris, Eric Schoenfeld, Panayiotis Tsokas, André Antonio Fenton, Todd Charlton Sacktor, Jeremy D. Coplan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Protein kinase Mζ (PKMζ) maintains long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term memory through persistent increases in kinase expression. Early-life adversity is a precursor to adult mood and anxiety disorders, in part, through persistent disruption of emotional memory throughout life. Here we subjected 10- to 16-wk-old male bonnet macaques to adversity by a maternal variable-foraging demand paradigm. We then examined PKMζ expression in their ventral hippocampi as 7- to 12-yr-old adults. Quantitative immunohistochemistry reveals decreased PKMζ in dentate gyrus, CA1, and subiculum of subjects who had experienced early-life adversity due to the unpredictability of maternal care. Adult animals with persistent decrements of PKMζ in ventral hippocampus express timid rather than confrontational responses to a human intruder. Persistent down-regulation of PKMζ in the ventral hippocampus might reduce the capacity for emotional memory maintenance and contribute to the long-lasting emotional effects of early-life adversity.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)341-347
Number of pages7
JournalLearning and Memory
Volume28
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2021

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

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