Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026
10:59
Investigations on Alterations of Hippocampal Circuit Function Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: November 19, 2012
Striatum-hippocampus balance: from physiological behavior to interneuronal pathology.
Veronica Ghiglieri1, Carmelo Sgobio, Cinzia Costa
1Fondazione Santa Lucia - IRCCS, via del Fosso di Fiorano, Rome, Italy.
Progress in Neurobiology
|April 26, 2011
Summary
Altered synaptic plasticity in neurological disorders disrupts memory systems. Interneuron dysfunction is key, impacting striatal and hippocampal pathways crucial for learning and memory.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurobiology
- Synaptic Plasticity
Background:
- Neurological disorders like epilepsy, Down syndrome, and Huntington's disease affect memory systems.
- These conditions involve altered communication between striatal and hippocampal memory networks.
- Cell-type specific synaptic plasticity changes lead to functional imbalances.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of interneurons in the functional imbalance of memory systems in neurological disorders.
- To understand how interneuronal dysfunction contributes to altered synaptic plasticity.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of cell-type specific alterations in synaptic plasticity.
- Examination of neuronal activity in striatal and hippocampal networks.
- Focus on the role of interneurons in bidirectional synaptic plasticity.
Main Results:
- Synaptic plasticity alterations in neurological disorders create distinctive patterns.
- Interneuron activity is crucial for bidirectional synaptic plasticity in both striatal and hippocampal neurons.
- Interneuronal dysfunction is a primary factor in the pathogenesis of these memory system imbalances.
Conclusions:
- Interneurons are critical elements in the neurophysiological basis of memory system flexibility.
- Dysfunctional interneurons contribute significantly to the memory deficits observed in these neurological conditions.
- Targeting interneurons may offer therapeutic strategies for neurological disorders affecting memory.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:30Diencephalon: Anatomical Regions
The diencephalon, etymologically translated as 'through brain,' plays an integral role as the conduit between the cerebrum and the vast extent of the nervous system. However, the olfactory system is an exception, as it interfaces directly with the cerebrum. The diencephalon, deeply ensconced beneath the cerebrum, primarily consists of three paired structures — the thalamus, hypothalamus, and epithelamus. It also includes accessory structures such as the subthalamus, which houses the subthalamic...
01:15Functional Brain Systems: Limbic System
The limbic system, often called the "emotional brain," is a complex set of structures located deep within the brain. The intricate network of the limbic system supports a wide range of psychological functions, from emotional regulation to memory formation and sensory processing. This functional brain region encompasses specific parts of the diencephalon and the cerebrum, integrating the higher mental functions of the cerebral cortex with the primitive emotional responses of the deep brain...
01:19Role of Hippocampus in Memory
The hippocampus, a critical brain structure, plays an essential role in memory processing, particularly in the formation and retrieval of memory. This small, seahorse-shaped region is located within the medial temporal lobe, with one hippocampus in each brain hemisphere. Experimental studies involving lesions in the hippocampi of rats have demonstrated significant impairments in tasks such as object recognition and maze navigation, indicating the hippocampus involvement in both recognition and...
01:37Neural Regulation
Digestion begins with a cephalic phase that prepares the digestive system to receive food. When our brain processes visual or olfactory information about food, it triggers impulses in the cranial nerves innervating the salivary glands and stomach to prepare for food.
01:28Major Somatic Sensory Pathways
Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the posterior columns...