Faraz Norouzi-Bonab
1 
, Kimia Zabihi
1 , Mahsa Hasanzadeh-Moghadam
2, Seyed Zanyar Athari
3,4* 1 Faculty of Pharmacy, Eastern Mediterranean University, Famagusta, TRNC via Mersin 10, Turkey
2 Department of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
3 Neurosciences Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
4 Department of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Abstract
Memory functions in laboratory animals are a crucial area of research in neuroscience, with a particular focus on identifying drugs that enhance various aspects of memory, particularly long-term declarative memory. This field involves studying cognition and memory from behavioral and molecular perspectives. Researchers evaluate changes in genes, enzymes, and proteins to discover the neurobiological mechanisms underlying memory formation and retrieval. The hippocampus and prefrontal cortex are key brain regions associated with memory and cognition, undergoing synaptogenesis following the acquisition of new information or skills. The production of specific proteins plays a crucial role in consolidating and storing memories, necessitating precise analysis of these brain regions to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in memory processes fully. However, the rapid degradation of these proteins by cellular enzymatic activities highlights the need for efficient and timely extraction techniques to ensure precise and reliable analysis. This methodological study aimed to introduce a rapid and accurate method for extracting the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in rats.