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Beta 1-Integrins Are Required For Hippocampal Ampa Receptor-Dependent Synaptic Transmission, Synaptic Plasticity, And Working Memory., Chi-Shing Chan, Edwin J. Weeber, Lin Zong, Elaine Fuchs, J David Sweatt, Ronald L. Davis

Faculty Publications

Integrins comprise a large family of cell adhesion receptors that mediate diverse biological events through cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions. Recent studies have shown that several integrins are localized to synapses with suggested roles in synaptic plasticity and memory formation. We generated a postnatal forebrain and excitatory neuron-specific knock-out of beta1-integrin in the mouse. Electrophysiological studies demonstrated that these mutants have impaired synaptic transmission through AMPA receptors and diminished NMDA receptor-dependent long-term potentiation. Despite the impairment in hippocampal synaptic transmission, the mutants displayed normal hippocampal-dependent spatial and contextual memory but were impaired in a hippocampal-dependent, nonmatching-to-place working memory task. These …