Evidence suggests that the acquisition of recognition memory depends upon CREB‐dependent long‐lasting changes in synaptic plasticity in the perirhinal cortex.The CREB‐responsive microRNA miR‐132 has been shown to regulate synaptic transmission and we set out to investigate a role for this microRNA in recognition memory and its underlying plasticity mechanisms. To this end we mediated the specific overexpression of miR‐132 selectively in the rat perirhinal cortex and demonstrated impairment in short‐term recognition memory. This functional deficit was associated with a reduction in both long‐term depression and long‐term potentiation. These results confirm that microRNAs are key coordinators of the intracellular pathways that mediate experience‐dependent changes in the brain. In addition, these results demonstrate a role for miR‐132 in the neuronal mechanisms underlying the formation of short‐term recognition memory.