REDUCED HIPPOCAMPAL LONG-TERM POTENTIATION AND CONTEXT-SPECIFIC DEFICIT IN ASSOCIATIVE LEARNING IN MGLUR1 MUTANT MICE

We generated a novel strain of mutant mouse with a deletion in the gene encoding metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1). Gross anatomy of the hippocampus, excitatory synaptic transmission, long-term depression, and short-term potentiation in the hippocampal CA1 region are all apparently normal in the mutant mice. In contrast, long-term potentiation (LTP) is substantially reduced, and a moderate level of impairment is observed in context-specific associative learning. We propose that mGluR1 is not ''in line'' in LTP production, but rather modulates the plasticity process, and hence affects context-specific associative learning.