Effect of High-Frequency Stimulation of the Perforant Path on Previously Acquired Spatial Memory in Rats: Influence of Memory Strength and Reactivation

If memory depends on changes in synaptic strength, then manipulation of synaptic strength after learning should alter memory for what was learned. Here, we examined whether high frequency stimulation of the perforant path in vivo disrupts memory for a previously-learned hidden platform location in the Morris water task as well as whether this effect is modulated by memory strength or memory reactivation. We found that high frequency stimulation affected probe test performance regardless of memory strength or state of memory activation, although the precise nature of this effect differed depending on whether rats received minimal or extensive training prior to high frequency stimulation. These findings suggest that artificial manipulation of synaptic strength between the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus may destabilize memory for a previously-learned spatial location.