Abstract
Actin dynamics provide an important mechanism for the modification of synaptic plasticity, which is regulated by the actin depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin. However, the role of cofilin regulated actin dynamics in memory extinction process is still unclear. Here, we observed that extinction of conditioned taste aversive (CTA) memory led to temporally enhanced ADF/cofilin activity in the infralimbic cortex (IrL) of the rats. Moreover, temporally elevating ADF/cofilin activity in the IrL could accelerate CTA memory extinction by facilitating AMPAR synaptic surface recruitment, whereas inhibition of ADF/cofilin activity abolished AMPAR synaptic surface trafficking and impaired memory extinction. Finally, we observed that ADF/cofilin-regulated synaptic plasticity was not directly coupled to morphological changes of postsynaptic spines. These findings may help us understand the role of ADF/cofilin-regulated actin dynamics in memory extinction and suggest that appropriate manipulating ADF/cofilin activity might be a suitable way for therapeutic treatment of memory disorders.