Reconsolidation of a long-term spatial memory is impaired by cycloheximide when reactivated with a contextual latent learning trial in male and female rats.

Reconsolidation of long-term memory has become a topic of great interest in recent years, and has the potential to provide important information regarding memory processes and the treatment of memory-related disorders. The present study examined the role of systemic protein synthesis inhibition in reconsolidation of a long-term spatial memory reactivated by a contextual latent learning trial in male and female rats. Using the Morris water maze, we demonstrate that: 1) a contextual latent reactivation treatment enhances memory, 2) systemic protein synthesis inhibition selectively impairs test performance when administered in conjunction with a memory reactivation treatment, and 3) that these effects are more pronounced in female rats. These findings indicate a role for protein synthesis in the reconsolidation of a contextually reactivated long-term spatial memory using the water maze, and a potential differential effect of sex in this apparatus. The role of the strength of the memory trace is discussed and the relevance of these findings to theories of reconsolidation and therapeutic treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder is discussed.