Lesions to the CA 2 region of the hippocampus impair social memory in mice
Open accessAbstract
The function of the CA 2 region of the hippocampus is poorly understood. Although the CA 1 and CA 3 regions have been extensively studied, for years the CA 2 region has primarily been viewed as a linking area between the two. However, the CA 2 region is known to have distinct neurochemical and structural features that are different from the other parts of the hippocampus and in recent years it has been suggested that the CA 2 region may play a role in the formation and/or recall of olfactory‐based memories needed for normal social behavior. Although this hypothesis has been supported by hippocampal lesion studies that have included the CA 2 region, no studies have attempted to specifically lesion the CA 2 region of the hippocampus in mice to determine the effects on social recognition memory and olfaction. To fill this knowledge gap, we sought to perform excitotoxic N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate lesions of the CA 2 region and determine the effects on social recognition memory. We predicted that lesions of the CA 2 region would impair social recognition memory. We then went on to test olfaction in CA 2‐lesioned mice, as social memory requires a functional olfactory system. Consistent with our prediction, we found that CA 2‐lesioned animals had impaired social recognition. These findings are significant because they confirmed that the CA 2 region of the hippocampus is a part of the neural circuitry that regulates social recognition memory, which may have implications for our understanding of the neural regulation of social behavior across species.
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The dorsal CA2 is the key centre for encoding, consolidation and recall phases of social memory.
“The dorsal CA2 is the key centre for encoding, consolidation and recall phases of social memory [125–128].”
From The extracellular matrix and perineuronal nets in memory (2022) · cites this paper as [128]
The Introduction says the study lesioned the dorsal third of CA2, and the Results (Experiments 1 and 2: Social Memory Tests; page unavailable) report impaired social recognition in lesioned mice. The paper does not establish that dorsal CA2 is the key centre for each of encoding, consolidation and recall; its Introduction describes a role in formation and/or recall as a hypothesis. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredExcitotoxic lesions of CA2 blocked the formation of a social memory but not an olfactory memory.
“Excitotoxic lesions of CA2 also blocked the formation of a social memory but not an olfactory memory [84].”
From Neural circuits regulating prosocial behaviors (2023) · cites this paper as [84]
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- Authors
- Stevenson, E. L., & Caldwell, H. K.
- Affiliations
- Kent State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Caldwell, Heather K.
- ORCID
- Caldwell, Heather K.
- Venue
- European Journal of Neuroscience
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2014-08-11
- Volume
- 40
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 3294-3301
- ISSN
- 0953-816X (ISSN-L)
- 1460-9568
- PMC
- PMC4218870
- OpenAlex
- W2170097553
- Cited by
- 222
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 25 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 7.44
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- European Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIH R21 MH083963)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Keywords
- social recognition memory, social memory, olfactory memory, hippocampal lesions, olfaction, social behavior, mice
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Male, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Social Behavior, Recognition, Psychology, Mice, CA2 Region, Hippocampal
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