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Abstract #4668

Optogenetically-evoked Brain-wide Spindles Alleviate Associative Memory Dysfunction in Aging Animal

Xunda Wang1,2, Alex T. L. Leong1,2, Pit Shan Chong3, Lee-Wei Lim3, and Ed X. Wu1,2
1Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China, 2Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China, 3School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

Synopsis

Memory consolidation, the ability to transform new memory into long-term knowledge, declines with age. Impairment of thalamo-cortical spindle activities at systems level has been proposed as a mechanism underlying such memory dysfunction. However, it remains unknown whether targeted neuromodulation of spindle activities can arrest decline of memory consolidation functions in aging brains. Here, we demonstrate in an accelerated aging animal model that optogenetically-evoked spindle activities from the somatosensory thalamus alleviate associative memory consolidation dysfunction through potentiating brain-wide sensorimotor and limbic regions. Our work provides valuable insights into the therapeutic implications of targeted spindle manipulation to rescue age-related memory consolidation declines.

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