Abstract
Learning and memory depend on the time of day in various organisms, but it is not clear whether and how the circadian clock regulates memory performance. Here we show that consolidation of long-term recognition memory is a circadian-regulated process, which is blunted by disruption of the hippocampal clock. We focused on SCOP, a key molecule regulating hippocampus-dependent long-term memory for objects. The amounts of SCOP and its binding partner K-Ras in the hippocampal membrane rafts exhibit robust circadian changes, and SCOP knockdown in the hippocampal CA1 impairs long-term memory at night. Circadian changes in stimulus-dependent activation of ERK in the hippocampal neurons are dependent on the SCOP levels in the membrane rafts, while Scop knockout abrogates the activation rhythm. We conclude that long-term memory formation is regulated by the circadian clock through SCOP dynamics in the membrane rafts of the hippocampal CA1.