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A specific role for septohippocampal acetylcholine in memory?

Easton, A; Douchamps, V.; Eacott, MJ; Lever, C

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Authors

V. Douchamps

MJ Eacott



Abstract

Acetylcholine has long been implicated in memory, including hippocampal-dependent memory, but the specific role for this neurotransmitter is difficult to identify in human neuropsychology. Here, we review the evidence for a mechanistic model of acetylcholine function within the hippocampus and consider its explanatory power for interpreting effects resulting from both pharmacological anticholinergic manipulations and lesions of the cholinergic input to the hippocampus in animals. We argue that these effects indicate that acetylcholine is necessary for some, but not all, hippocampal-dependent processes. We review recent evidence from lesion, pharmacological and electrophysiological studies to support the view that a primary function of septohippocampal acetylcholine is to reduce interference in the learning process by adaptively timing and separating encoding and retrieval processes. We reinterpret cholinergic-lesion based deficits according to this view and propose that acetylcholine reduces the interference elicited by the movement of salient locations between events.

Citation

Easton, A., Douchamps, V., Eacott, M., & Lever, C. (2012). A specific role for septohippocampal acetylcholine in memory?. Neuropsychologia, 50(13), 3156-3168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2012.07.022

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Jan 1, 2012
Deposit Date Feb 24, 2012
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Neuropsychologia
Print ISSN 0028-3932
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 50
Issue 13
Pages 3156-3168
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2012.07.022
Keywords Oscillations, Theta, Scopolamine, Rats, Episodic memory, Spatial memory.

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Copyright Statement
© 2012 Elsevier Ltd. Article available under open access licence CC-BY.






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