Neuron Activity in the Retrosplenial Cortex of the Rat at the Early and Late Stages of Memory Consolidation

Activity was recorded from single neurons in the retrosplenial cortex during performance of an operant food-procuring behavior in two groups of rats; in the first six days after training to this behavior (group 1) and one week later, during which the animal did not perform the learned skill (group 2). At the same time, these groups showed no significant difference in the percentages of neurons specialized with respect to the learned behavior; in group 1, 40% of the cells of this category showed activation occurring in 80–90% of performances of the specific act, and not in all (100%), which was significantly different from the proportion of such cells (4%) in animals of group 2. All neurons with less than 100% activation at the early post-training stage were specialized with respect to the most recent act in the training history: approach to and pressing of the pedal. It is suggested that at the first stages of consolidation of the operant skill, its realization may occur by means of a variable set of cells in the retrosplenial cortex specialized with relative to the system of new behavioral acts.

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