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Ku SP, Atucha E, Alavi N, Mulla-Osman H, Kayumova R, Yoshida M, Csicsvari J, Sauvage MM. Phase locking of hippocampal CA3 neurons to distal CA1 theta oscillations selectively predicts memory performance. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114276. [PMID: 38814781 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
How the coordination of neuronal spiking and brain rhythms between hippocampal subregions supports memory function remains elusive. We studied the interregional coordination of CA3 neuronal spiking with CA1 theta oscillations by recording electrophysiological signals along the proximodistal axis of the hippocampus in rats that were performing a high-memory-demand recognition memory task adapted from humans. We found that CA3 population spiking occurs preferentially at the peak of distal CA1 theta oscillations when memory was tested but only when previously encountered stimuli were presented. In addition, decoding analyses revealed that only population cell firing of proximal CA3 together with that of distal CA1 can predict performance at test in the present non-spatial task. Overall, our work demonstrates an important role for the synchronization of CA3 neuronal activity with CA1 theta oscillations during memory testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shih-Pi Ku
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Functional Architecture of Memory Department, Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - Erika Atucha
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Functional Architecture of Memory Department, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Nico Alavi
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Functional Architecture of Memory Department, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Halla Mulla-Osman
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Functional Architecture of Memory Department, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Rukhshona Kayumova
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Functional Architecture of Memory Department, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Motoharu Yoshida
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Functional Architecture of Memory Department, Magdeburg, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Jozsef Csicsvari
- Institute of Science and Technology (IST), Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Magdalena M Sauvage
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Functional Architecture of Memory Department, Magdeburg, Germany; Otto von Guericke University, Medical Faculty, Functional Neuroplasticity Department, Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Magdeburg, Germany.
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2
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Coulter ME, Gillespie AK, Chu J, Denovellis EL, Nguyen TTK, Liu DF, Wadhwani K, Sharma B, Wang K, Deng X, Eden UT, Kemere C, Frank LM. Closed-loop modulation of remote hippocampal representations with neurofeedback. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.08.593085. [PMID: 38766135 PMCID: PMC11100667 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.08.593085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Humans can remember specific events without acting on them and can influence which memories are retrieved based on internal goals. However, current animal models of memory typically present sensory cues to trigger retrieval and assess retrieval based on action 1-5 . As a result, it is difficult to determine whether measured patterns of neural activity relate to the cue(s), the retrieved memory, or the behavior. We therefore asked whether we could develop a paradigm to isolate retrieval-related neural activity in animals without retrieval cues or the requirement of a behavioral report. To do this, we focused on hippocampal "place cells." These cells primarily emit spiking patterns that represent the animal's current location (local representations), but they can also generate representations of previously visited locations distant from the animal's current location (remote representations) 6-13 . It is not known whether animals can deliberately engage specific remote representations, and if so, whether this engagement would occur during specific brain states. So, we used a closed-loop neurofeedback system to reward expression of remote representations that corresponded to uncued, experimenter-selected locations, and found that rats could increase the prevalence of these specific remote representations over time; thus, demonstrating memory retrieval modulated by internal goals in an animal model. These representations occurred predominately during periods of immobility but outside of hippocampal sharp-wave ripple (SWR) 13-15 events. This paradigm enables future direct studies of memory retrieval mechanisms in the healthy brain and in models of neurological disorders.
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Wang Y, Wang X, Wang L, Zheng L, Meng S, Zhu N, An X, Wang L, Yang J, Zheng C, Ming D. Dynamic prediction of goal location by coordinated representation of prefrontal-hippocampal theta sequences. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1866-1879.e6. [PMID: 38608677 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Prefrontal (PFC) and hippocampal (HPC) sequences of neuronal firing modulated by theta rhythms could represent upcoming choices during spatial memory-guided decision-making. How the PFC-HPC network dynamically coordinates theta sequences to predict specific goal locations and how it is interrupted in memory impairments induced by amyloid beta (Aβ) remain unclear. Here, we detected theta sequences of firing activities of PFC neurons and HPC place cells during goal-directed spatial memory tasks. We found that PFC ensembles exhibited predictive representation of the specific goal location since the starting phase of memory retrieval, earlier than the hippocampus. High predictive accuracy of PFC theta sequences existed during successful memory retrieval and positively correlated with memory performance. Coordinated PFC-HPC sequences showed PFC-dominant prediction of goal locations during successful memory retrieval. Furthermore, we found that theta sequences of both regions still existed under Aβ accumulation, whereas their predictive representation of goal locations was weakened with disrupted spatial representation of HPC place cells and PFC neurons. These findings highlight the essential role of coordinated PFC-HPC sequences in successful memory retrieval of a precise goal location.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yimeng Wang
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Xueling Wang
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Ling Wang
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Neuroengineering, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Li Zheng
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Shuang Meng
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Nan Zhu
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Xingwei An
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Neuroengineering, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Lei Wang
- School of Statistics and Data Science, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
| | - Jiajia Yang
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Neuroengineering, Tianjin 300072, China; Haihe Laboratory of Brain-Computer Interaction and Human-Machine Integration, Tianjin 300072, China.
| | - Chenguang Zheng
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Neuroengineering, Tianjin 300072, China; Haihe Laboratory of Brain-Computer Interaction and Human-Machine Integration, Tianjin 300072, China.
| | - Dong Ming
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Neuroengineering, Tianjin 300072, China; Haihe Laboratory of Brain-Computer Interaction and Human-Machine Integration, Tianjin 300072, China.
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Prince SM, Yassine TA, Katragadda N, Roberts TC, Singer AC. New information triggers prospective codes to adapt for flexible navigation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.31.564814. [PMID: 37961524 PMCID: PMC10634986 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.31.564814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Navigating a dynamic world requires rapidly updating choices by integrating past experiences with new information. In hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, neural activity representing future goals is theorized to support planning. However, it remains unknown how prospective goal representations incorporate new, pivotal information. Accordingly, we designed a novel task that precisely introduces new information using virtual reality, and we recorded neural activity as mice flexibly adapted their planned destinations. We found that new information triggered increased hippocampal prospective representations of both possible goals; while in prefrontal cortex, new information caused prospective representations of choices to rapidly shift to the new choice. When mice did not flexibly adapt, prefrontal choice codes failed to switch, despite relatively intact hippocampal goal representations. Prospective code updating depended on the commitment to the initial choice and degree of adaptation needed. Thus, we show how prospective codes update with new information to flexibly adapt ongoing navigational plans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie M. Prince
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, United States
| | - Teema A. Yassine
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, United States
| | - Navya Katragadda
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, United States
| | - Tyler C. Roberts
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, United States
| | - Annabelle C. Singer
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, United States
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Nardin M, Kaefer K, Stella F, Csicsvari J. Theta oscillations as a substrate for medial prefrontal-hippocampal assembly interactions. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113015. [PMID: 37632747 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The execution of cognitive functions requires coordinated circuit activity across different brain areas that involves the associated firing of neuronal assemblies. Here, we tested the circuit mechanism behind assembly interactions between the hippocampus and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of adult rats by recording neuronal populations during a rule-switching task. We identified functionally coupled CA1-mPFC cells that synchronized their activity beyond that expected from common spatial coding or oscillatory firing. When such cell pairs fired together, the mPFC cell strongly phase locked to CA1 theta oscillations and maintained consistent theta firing phases, independent of the theta timing of their CA1 counterpart. These functionally connected CA1-mPFC cells formed interconnected assemblies. While firing together with their CA1 assembly partners, mPFC cells fired along specific theta sequences. Our results suggest that upregulated theta oscillatory firing of mPFC cells can signal transient interactions with specific CA1 assemblies, thus enabling distributed computations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Nardin
- IST Austria, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria; Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA.
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Srinivasan A, Riceberg JS, Goodman MR, Srinivasan A, Guise KG, Shapiro ML. Goal Choices Modify Frontotemporal Memory Representations. J Neurosci 2023; 43:3353-3364. [PMID: 36977579 PMCID: PMC10162456 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1939-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Adapting flexibly to changing circumstances is guided by memory of past choices, their outcomes in similar circumstances, and a method for choosing among potential actions. The hippocampus (HPC) is needed to remember episodes, and the prefrontal cortex (PFC) helps guide memory retrieval. Single-unit activity in the HPC and PFC correlates with such cognitive functions. Previous work recorded CA1 and mPFC activity as male rats performed a spatial reversal task in a plus maze that requires both structures, found that PFC activity helps reactivate HPC representations of pending goal choices but did not describe frontotemporal interactions after choices. We describe these interactions after choices here. CA1 activity tracked both current goal location and the past starting location of single trials; PFC activity tracked current goal location better than past start location. CA1 and PFC reciprocally modulated representations of each other both before and after goal choices. After choices, CA1 activity predicted changes in PFC activity in subsequent trials, and the magnitude of this prediction correlated with faster learning. In contrast, PFC start arm activity more strongly modulated CA1 activity after choices correlated with slower learning. Together, the results suggest post-choice HPC activity conveys retrospective signals to the PFC, which combines different paths to common goals into rules. In subsequent trials, prechoice mPFC activity modulates prospective CA1 signals informing goal selection.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT HPC and PFC activity supports cognitive flexibility in changing circumstances. HPC signals represent behavioral episodes that link the start, choice, and goal of paths. PFC signals represent rules that guide goal-directed actions. Although prior studies described HPC-PFC interactions preceding decisions in the plus maze, post-decision interactions were not investigated. Here, we show post-choice HPC and PFC activity distinguished the start and goal of paths, and CA1 signaled the past start of each trial more accurately than mPFC. Postchoice CA1 activity modulated subsequent PFC activity, so rewarded actions were more likely to occur. Together, the results show that in changing circumstances, HPC retrospective codes modulate subsequent PFC coding, which in turn modulates HPC prospective codes that predict choices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditya Srinivasan
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York 12208
| | - Justin S Riceberg
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York 12208
- Department of Psychiatry, Leon and Norma Hess Center for Science and Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Michael R Goodman
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York 12208
| | - Arvind Srinivasan
- College of Health Sciences, California Northstate University, Rancho Cordova, California 95670
| | - Kevin G Guise
- Friedman Brain Institute, Leon and Norma Hess Center for Science and Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Matthew L Shapiro
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York 12208
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Aery Jones EA, Giocomo LM. Neural ensembles in navigation: From single cells to population codes. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2023; 78:102665. [PMID: 36542882 PMCID: PMC9845194 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2022.102665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The brain can represent behaviorally relevant information through the firing of individual neurons as well as the coordinated firing of ensembles of neurons. Neurons in the hippocampus and associated cortical regions participate in a variety of types of ensembles to support navigation. These ensemble types include single cell codes, population codes, time-compressed sequences, behavioral sequences, and engrams. We present the physiological basis and behavioral relevance of ensemble firing. We discuss how these traditional definitions of ensembles can constrain or expand potential analyses due to the underlying assumptions and abstractions made. We highlight how coding can change at the ensemble level while underlying single cell codes remain intact. Finally, we present how ensemble definitions could be broadened to better understand the full complexity of the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily A Aery Jones
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
| | - Lisa M Giocomo
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
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Comrie AE, Frank LM, Kay K. Imagination as a fundamental function of the hippocampus. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210336. [PMID: 36314152 PMCID: PMC9620759 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Imagination is a biological function that is vital to human experience and advanced cognition. Despite this importance, it remains unknown how imagination is realized in the brain. Substantial research focusing on the hippocampus, a brain structure traditionally linked to memory, indicates that firing patterns in spatially tuned neurons can represent previous and upcoming paths in space. This work has generally been interpreted under standard views that the hippocampus implements cognitive abilities primarily related to actual experience, whether in the past (e.g. recollection, consolidation), present (e.g. spatial mapping) or future (e.g. planning). However, relatively recent findings in rodents identify robust patterns of hippocampal firing corresponding to a variety of alternatives to actual experience, in many cases without overt reference to the past, present or future. Given these findings, and others on hippocampal contributions to human imagination, we suggest that a fundamental function of the hippocampus is to generate a wealth of hypothetical experiences and thoughts. Under this view, traditional accounts of hippocampal function in episodic memory and spatial navigation can be understood as particular applications of a more general system for imagination. This view also suggests that the hippocampus contributes to a wider range of cognitive abilities than previously thought. This article is part of the theme issue 'Thinking about possibilities: mechanisms, ontogeny, functions and phylogeny'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison E. Comrie
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Departments of Physiology and Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Loren M. Frank
- Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Departments of Physiology and Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Kenneth Kay
- Zuckerman Institute, Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, Columbia University, 3227 Broadway, New York, NY 10027, USA
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Context-independent expression of spatial code in hippocampus. Sci Rep 2022; 12:20711. [PMID: 36456668 PMCID: PMC9715626 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-25006-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The hippocampus plays a crucial role in the formation and retrieval of spatial memory across mammals and episodic memory in humans. Episodic and spatial memories can be retrieved irrespective of the subject's awake behavioral state and independently of its actual spatial context. However, the nature of hippocampal network activity during such out-context retrieval has not been described so far. Theoretically, context-independent spatial memory retrieval suggests a shift of the hippocampal spatial representations from coding the current spatial context to coding the remembered environment. In this study we show in rats that the CA3 neuronal population can switch spontaneously across representations and transiently activate another stored familiar spatial pattern without direct external sensory cuing. This phenomenon qualitatively differs from the well-described sharp wave-related pattern reactivations during immobility. Here, it occurs under the theta oscillatory state during active exploration and reflects the preceding experience of sudden environmental change. The respective out-context coding spikes appeared later in the theta cycle than the in-context ones. Finally, the experience also induced the emergence of population vectors with a co-expression of both codes segregated into different phases of the theta cycle.
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