How false memories form is unclear. To begin to address this, Ramirez et al. aimed to create a false hippocampal memory in mice using optogenetics. They placed mice in a novel environment and labelled activated neurons in the dentate gyrus by the targeted expression of channelrhodopsin 2. The mice were then placed in a different environment and underwent fear conditioning while the neurons activated in the first environment were optogenetically reactivated. Subsequent placement of the mice into the first environment elicited a fear response, indicating that a false fear memory had been created.
References
Ramirez, S. et al. Creating a false memory in the hippocampus. Science 341, 387–391 (2013)
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Yates, D. Falsifying memory. Nat Rev Neurosci 14, 591 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3581
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3581