Activation of GABAA receptors in the accessory olfactory bulb does not prevent the formation of an olfactory memory in mice

When female mice are mated, they form a memory to the pheromonal signal of their male partner. The neural mechanisms underlying this memory involve changes at the reciprocal dendrodendritic synapses between glutamatergic mitral cells and gamma -aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic granule cells in the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB). Blockade of GABAA receptors in the AOB leads to the formation of an olfactory memory. In an attempt to disrupt memory formation at mating, we used local infusions of the GABAA receptor agonist muscimol into the AOB during the critical period for memory formation. Muscimol across a wide range of doses (1-1000 pmol) did not prevent memory formation. The resistance of this memory to GABAA receptor activation may reflect the complexity of synaptic microcircuits in the AOB.