Temmie Yu
Research Mentor: Not Available Not Available
Mentor Department: Not Available, Not Available
Author(s): Not Available
Session: Session 2 (10:00 AM – 10:50 AM)
Presentation Type: Poster 10
Abstract
Engram cells are memory encoding cells that are active during learning, and reactivate during
memory recall. As learned information is into long term memories, engram cells undergo
physical changes to store information stably. Previous studies have established that
morphological differences exist between engram cells and non-engram cells, noting that engram
cells typically show greater spine densities compared to non-engram cells at the time of memory
recall. Engram cell morphology during memory consolidation, the time point between memory
encoding and memory recall, is relatively underinvestigated. This study aims to investigate
structural changes in engram cells within the DG specifically. Using a mouse model for engram
cell labeling (TRAP2), we were able to fluorescently label memory encoding cells, and analyzed
these same cells for markers of neuronal activation during post-learning sleep. We quantified
changes in spine density of neurons to investigate how engram cells differ in their type-specific
spine densities. In this study, we unexpectedly found that after 6 hours of post-learning sleep,
non-reactivated cells have significantly more thin spines and higher spine density compared to
reactivated engram cells. Through this study, we address how reactivated cells differ
morphologically from other cells, and furthered our understanding of how memory consolidation
events occur.
