Temporal dynamics of Arc gene induction in hippocampus: Relationship to context memory formation

► Brief exposure to a context results in rapid induction of hippocampal Arc. ► Arc in CA3 was maximal with 3 s of exposure, while CA1 required 30 s exposure. ► Expression of fear memory was only detected after 30 s of context exposure. ► Expression of fear memory paralleled the maximal activation of Arc in both CA3 and CA1.