Functional interactions of Infralimbic-Cerebellum pathways in cocaine-induced preference memory

Abstract

The present thesis investigates the cerebellum-IL interactions in drug-induced memories and their anatomical pathways. To do so, we 1) assessed activity and perineuronal nets (PNNs) expression in the posterior cerebellum of IL-inactivated rats, 2) digested PNNs in LVIII at different time points of the learning process, and 3) created an anatomical map of the ascending and descending cerebellum-IL reciprocal pathways using tracing agents. First, IL inactivation promoted cocaine-induced memory acquisition and upregulated cFos and vGluT2 activity around neurogranin+ Golgi interneurons and PNN expression in the posterior cerebellum. Second, LVIII PNNs enzymatic digestion disrupted short-term cocaine memory and facilitated reinstatement of cocaine-induced memory probably by preventing the consolidation of extinction. Third, our anatomical maps show that LVIII via the interposed DCN might contact VTA and then contact IL, and IL might send projections to both interposed DCN and inferior olive and these areas that reach LVIII.