Persistently enhancing the excitability of S1-activated neurons impairs conditioning. A, Timeline of tagging and conditioning. All mice received clozapine injections on Sessions 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 (purple arrows). Doxycycline was presented in the drinking water of all mice at all times, with the exception of its removal 48 h before the tagging session, which lasted until 1 h following the tagging session. B, Representative image of mCherry staining in dmPFC of Fos-tTa mice tagged during S1 or by exposure to a NC. Arrows indicate hM3Dq+ neurons. C, F, Selectivity Index of responses (CS-ITI/total number head entries) during acquisition in Fos-tTA (hM3Dq+; orange) and WT (hM3Dq−; black) mice following S1 or NC tagging. D, G, CS and ITI responses during Acquisition in Fos-tTA (hM3Dq+; orange) and WT (hM3Dq−; black) mice following S1 or NC tagging. E, H, CS and ITI responses during recall in Fos-tTA (hM3Dq+; orange) and WT (hM3Dq−; black) mice following S1 or NC tagging. I, Schematic representation of injection sites. Data are mean ± SEM. *p < 0.05. S1 tag = 6, 12; NC tag: n = 8, 10.