Ramelteon enhances memory in quasi-natural contexts

Ramelteon is a melatonin receptor agonist utilized to alleviate sleep disorders impacting memory. However, it remains unknown whether ramelteon modulates neutral memories devoid of rewards or punishment. To address this, we observed the behavior of mice during a novel object recognition task and a spontaneous alternation task under vehicle/ramelteon treatment. When ramelteon was administered immediately before training in the novel object recognition task, the object memory was improved, suggesting a specific role of ramelteon in facilitating object recognition memory acquisition. Additionally, ramelteon augmented spatial working memory in the spontaneous alternation task. To sum up, acute ramelteon treatment enhances memory in the quasi-natural environment.