International Mammalian Genome Society

17th International Mouse Genome Conference

9-12 November 2003, Braunschweig, Germany

Plenary Presentations * Oral Presentations *
Poster Presentations: Behavioural Genetics and Genomics * Development and Stem Cells * Functional Genome Analysis * Mouse Models of Human Disease * Mouse System Biology Bioinformatics * Multigenic and Multifactorial Trait Analysis * Nutrition and Metabolic Disease * Phenotyping Methods Imaging * The Genetics and Genomics of Infectious Disease *
Verne Chapman Memorial Lecture * Table of Contents * Sponsor/Exhibitor List * Awards * Photographs

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POSTER 7 - ENHANCED LEARNING AND MEMORY IN MICE LACKING NA⁺/CA²⁺ EXCHANGER 2

Shin H-S
Center for Learning and Memory, and Division of Life Science, Korea Institute of Science and Technology

Co-Authors: 1) Jeon D, 1) Yang Y, 1) Jeong M, 1) Rhim H, 2) Philipson K
Institutions: 1) Center for Learning and Memory, and Division of Life Science, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 2) Cardiovascular Research Laboratories, MRL 3-645, UCLA School of Medicine

The plasma membrane Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchanger (NCX) plays a role in regulation of intracellular Ca ²⁺ concentration via the forward mode (Ca²⁺ efflux) or the reverse mode (Ca²⁺ influx). To define the physiological function of the exchanger in vivo, we generated mice deficient for NCX2, the major isoform in the brain. Mutant hippocampal neurons exhibited a significantly delayed clearance of elevated Ca²⁺ following depolarization. The frequency threshold for LTP and LTD in the hippocampal CA1 region was shifted to a lowered frequency in the mutant mice thereby favoring LTP. Behaviorally, the mutant mice exhibited enhanced performance in several hippocampus-dependent learning and memory tasks. These results demonstrate that NCX2 can be a temporal regulator of Ca²⁺ homeostasis and as such is essential for the control of synaptic plasticity and cognition