RGS14(414)-Mediated Activation of the 14-3-3 zeta in Rodent Perirhinal Cortex Induces Dendritic Arborization, an Increase in Spine Number, Long-Lasting Memory Enhancement, and the Prevention of Memory Deficits

The remedy of memory deficits has been inadequate, as all potential candidates studied thus far have shown limited to no effects and a search for an effective strategy is ongoing. Here, we show that an expression of RGS14(414) in rat perirhinal cortex (PRh) produced long-lasting object recognition memory (ORM) enhancement and that this effect was mediated through the upregulation of 14-3-3 zeta, which caused a boost in BDNF protein levels and increase in pyramidal neuron dendritic arborization and dendritic spine number. A knockdown of the 14-3-3 zeta gene in rat or the deletion of the BDNF gene in mice caused complete loss in ORM enhancement and increase in BDNF protein levels and neuronal plasticity, indicating that 14-3-3 zeta-BDNF pathway-mediated structural plasticity is an essential step in RGS14(414)-induced memory enhancement. We further observed that RGS14(414) treatment was able to prevent deficits in recognition, spatial, and temporal memory, which are types of memory that are particularly affected in patients with memory dysfunctions, in rodent models of aging and Alzheimer's disease. These results suggest that 14-3-3 zeta-BDNF pathway might play an important role in the maintenance of the synaptic structures in PRh that support memory functions and that RGS14(414)-mediated activation of this pathway could serve as a remedy to treat memory deficits.