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Newly learned information requires consolidation before it can be stored reliably and recalled. When a memory is recalled, it becomes labile and must undergo “reconsolidation” to be stored reliably again. The hippocampus is central to the consolidation and reconsolidation of memories.
Researchers in New York City report that insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) plays a critical role in memory consolidation in rats. IGF-II is present in the hippocampus, but its role has been unclear. The team showed that levels of mRNA for IGF-II and levels of IGF-II protein itself rose in the hippocampus at 20 to 36 hours after rats received shocks on entering a particular entrance to a box; mRNA and protein levels fell to baseline at 3 days after the shoc…