Distinct progressions of neuronal activity changes underlie the formation and consolidation of a gustatory associative memory
Acquiring new memories is a multi-stage process. Ample of studies have convincingly demonstrated that initially acquired memories are labile, and only stabilized by later consolidation processes. These multiple phases of memory formation are known to involve modification of both cellular excitability and synaptic connectivity, which in turn change neuronal activity at both the single neuron and ensemble levels. However, the specific mapping between the known phases of memory and the observed changes in neuronal activity remains unknown. Here we address this unknown in the context of conditioned taste aversion learning by continuously tracking gustatory cortex (GC) neuronal taste responses from alert rats in the 24 hours following a taste-malaise pairing. We found that the progression of neuronal activity changes in the GC depend on the neuronal organizational level. The population response changed continuously; these changes, however, were only reflected in the population mean amplitude during the acquisition and consolidation phases, and in the known quickening of the ensemble state dynamics after the time of consolidation. Together our results demonstrate how complex dynamics in different representational level of cortical activity underlie the formation and stabilization of memory within the cortex. Significant StatementMemories are formed through a multi-phase process; an early initial acquired memory consolidates into a stable form over hours and days. While the underlying phase-specific molecular pathways are fairly known, the neuronal activity changes during these different phases remain elusive. Here we studied this unknown by tracking cortical neuronal activity over 24h as the taste becomes aversive following association with malaise. We found that that the progression of activity changes is organization-level dependent: The population response changed continuously; the population mean amplitude was time-locked to the acquisition and consolidation phases, and the quickening of the known ensemble state dynamics appear only after consolidation. Our results reveal the complex organizational-level neuronal interactions that underlie the progression of memory formation.