Suprachiasmatic Lesions Restore Object Recognition in Down Syndrome Model Mice

The Ts65Dn mouse is a well-studied model of trisomy 21, Down syndrome. This mouse strain has severe learning disability as measured by several rodent learning tests that depend on hippocampal spatial memory function. Hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) is deficient in these mice. Short-term daily treatment with low-dose GABA receptor antagonists rescue spatial learning and LTP in Ts65Dn mice leading to the hypothesis that the learning disability is due to GABAergic over-inhibition of hippocampal circuits. The fact that the GABA receptor antagonists were only effective if delivered during the daily light phase suggested that the source of the excess GABA was controlled directly or indirectly by the circadian system. The central circadian pacemaker of mammals is the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which is largely a GABAergic nucleus. In this study we investigated whether elimination of the SCN in Ts65Dn mice would restore their ability to form recognition memories as tested by the novel object recognition (NOR) task. Full, but not partial lesions of the SCN of Ts65Dn mice normalized their ability to perform on the NOR test. These results suggest that the circadian system modulates neuroplasticity over the time frame involved in the process of consolidation of recognition memories.