Our research group has recently reported that nicotine, cocaine, and their conditioned contextual stimuli (CS), enhance object memory consolidation via noradrenergic and dopaminergic receptors. This suggests the hypothesis that the neuropharmacology of unconditioned and conditioned memory modulation is not influenced by drug class. To test the hypothesis, male Sprague-Dailey rats received infusions of the nicotinic receptor antagonist mecamylamine (MEC) within the perirhinal cortex (PRh); a cortical region well known to be involved in consolidation object memory. To establish the drug CSs, rats were confined for 2 h in a chamber (the CS+) after injections of 0.4 mg/kg nicotine or 20 mg/kg cocaine, and in another chamber (the CS−) after injections of vehicle. This was repeated over 10 d (5 drug/CS+ and 5 vehicle/CS− pairings in total). Surprisingly, it was found that the memory enhancing action of post-sample 0.4 mg/kg nicotine, but not 20 mg/kg cocaine, was blocked by intra-PRh infusions of 10 and 30 μg/side MEC. Moreover, the memory enhancing effects of the nicotine CS, but not cocaine CS, were also blocked by 30 μg/side MEC. Overall, these data indicate that a nicotine CS promotes memory consolidation by enhancing PRh cholinergic activity similar to the central effects of nicotine itself, but this is not the case for cocaine and cocaine CSs. These results suggest that in addition to mimicking the behavioural effects of drugs, drug CSs also possess the ability to mimic the neurochemical effects of the drugs themselves on object memory consolidation. Supported by NSERC.

Role of nicotinic receptors in the perirhinal cortex in memory modulation by nicotine, cocaine, and their conditioned stimuli

AIM: Opioid withdrawal can be associated to environmental cues through classical conditioning to produce conditioned withdrawal. Recent preclinical evidence suggests that exposure to these cues can have profound cognitive effects and can play a role in the addiction by enhancing memory consolidation. To further understand the neurobiological mechanism by which cues influence memory, this study investigated the roles of two stress neuromodulators: noradrenaline and corticotrophin-releasing factor. METHODS: In Experiment 1, 0-3 mg/kg naloxone, 0.1 - 0.6 mg/kg lofexidine (alpha-2 adrenergic agonist) and 10 - 20 mg/kg antalarmin (CRF1 antagonist) were co-administered shortly after training on the object recognition task to heroin-dependent rats (via subcutaneous osmotic mini-pumps; 3.5 mg/kg/day). In Experiment 2, heroin-dependent rats were confined for 2 hours in a context (CS ) following naloxone injections and in another context (CS-) following vehicle injections. The effects of immediate post-training exposure to the CS (or CS-) and co-administration of lofexidine and antalarmin were tested 7 days after removal pumps. RESULTS: It was found both lofexidine and antalarmin dose-dependently blocked the enhancement of object memory consolidation by post-training naloxone precipitated withdrawal and by conditioned withdrawal. CONCLUSIONS: These experiments suggest that pharmacological and psychological withdrawal have significant effects on memory storage by activating noradrenergic and CRF stress systems.

Antagonists of noradrenergic and corticotrophin-releasing factor receptors block enhancement of memory consolidation by heroin withdrawal and conditioned heroin withdrawal

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PS-2-F -  Cognition and Behavior

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Colleagues and Friends:

I am very happy to welcome you to the 14th annual Canadian Neuroscience Meeting, and to the first virtual edition of our meeting. I want to highlight the important work the CAN meeting chair, **Roger Thompson** and co-chair, **Alyson Fournier**, did to put together the great program we are offering this year. Moving to a virtual format required a complete re-design of the program, and both Roger and Alyson did a splendid job in providing us with an appealing and well adapted program for our first virtual event. I wish to thank them for this very important effort.

Highlights of this year’s scientific meeting include invited speakers **Michael Hausser, Franck Polleux, Gwyneth Card, Magdalena Götz**and Brain Prize winner **Huda Zoghbi**. Plenary and parallel symposia, proposed by our members complete our diverse [scientific program.](https://can-acn.org/meeting-2021/program-2021/)

The 2021 Advocacy session, chaired and organized by CAN advocacy committee chair **Karun Singh**, will feature a special lecture and question period with Member of Parliament and past Science Minister **Kirsty Duncan**. This will be followed by a short overview of CAN’s advocacy activities over the last year. We invite you to participate in this session for insight from Dr. Duncan on the workings of Parliament Hill, and to learn more about what CAN has been doing to promote neuroscience research in Canada.

We are also excited to host **Lisa Willis** in the Equity Diversity and Inclusion session, organized by EDI committee chair **Jibran Khokhar**.

A special highlight of our meeting will be the lectures by award-winning young neuroscientists. We are please to host the CAN 2020 Young Investigator Award winner **Mihaela Iordanova**, and CAN 2021 Young Investigator Award winners **Aaron Phillips** and **Tabrez Siddiqui**. Highlights will also include presentation by the top three winners of the CAN-CIHR-INMHA Brain Star Award winners, **Claire Gizowski, Nuria Daviu Abant** and **Lukas Tamayo-Orrego**.

Independently organized satellite symposia complement and complete this exciting program, check them out here: https://can-acn.org/meeting-2021/2021-satellite-symposia/

Some of the most engaging sessions are always the poster sessions featuring the work of our trainees, so make sure to log in to Gather Town during the poster sessions to chat with the presenters.
We hope you enjoy this program, and look forward to welcoming you, virtually.

Shernaz Bamji

President of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience

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Please head to https://can-acn.org/meeting-2021/registration-2021/ to register. 

CAN-ACN 2021

14th Canadian Neuroscience Meeting from August 23rd-25th

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Nana Baidoo

2

Presentations

Role of nicotinic receptors in the perirhinal cortex in memory modulation by nicotine, cocaine, and their conditioned stimuli

Antagonists of noradrenergic and corticotrophin-releasing factor receptors block enhancement of memory consolidation by heroin withdrawal and conditioned heroin withdrawal

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