A single bout of torpor in mice protects memory processes

Memory consolidation is the process by which new and labile information is stabilized as long-term memory. Consolidation of spatial memories is thought to involve the transfer of information from the hippocampus to cortical regions. While the hypometabolic and hypothermic state of torpor dramatically changes hippocampal connectivity, little work has considered the functional consequences of these changes. The present study examines the role of a single bout of shallow torpor in the process of memory consolidation in mice. Adult female C57Bl/6NHSD mice were trained on the Morris Water Maze (MWM) task. Immediately following acquisition, the mice were exposed to one of four experimental manipulations for 24 h: fasted at an ambient temperature of 19 °C, fasted at 29 °C, allowed free access to food at 19 °C, or allowed free access to food at 29 °C. Mice fasted at 19 °C entered a bout of torpor as assessed by core body temperature while none of the mice in the other conditions did so. Spatial biases were then assessed with a probe trial in the MWM. During the probe trial, mice that had entered torpor and mice that were fed at 29 °C spent twice as much time in the prior target platform location than mice that were fed at 19 °C and those that were fasted at 29 °C. These findings demonstrate that, while food restriction or cool ambient temperature independently disrupt memory processes, together they cause physiological changes including the induction of a state of torpor that result in functional preservation of the memory process.