Hypothalamic CRH neurons represent physiological memory of positive and negative experience

This study investigated the neural substrates of physiological memory by examining corticotropin-releasing hormone-synthesizing neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (CRH PVN) of mice. The researchers found that these neurons exhibit contextual memory following exposure to stimuli with negative or positive valence. Negative stimuli invoke a two-factor learning rule increasing the activity of weak cells during recall, while positive valence relies on a one-factor rule decreasing CRH PVN neuron activity. Aversive memory in CRH PVN neurons outlasts the behavioral response, suggesting a disconnect between behavioral readouts and physiological changes.

Tamás Füzesi, Neilen P. Rasiah, David G. Rosenegger, Mijail Rojas-Carvajal, Taylor Chomiak, Núria Daviu, Leonardo A. Molina, Kathryn Simone, Toni-Lee Sterley, Wilten Nicola, Jaideep S. Bains