Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 18, 2026
07:00
In Vivo Calcium Imaging of Granule Cells in the Dentate Gyrus of Hippocampus in Mice
Published on: August 2, 2024
Dynamic coding of dorsal hippocampal neurons between tasks that differ in structure and memory demand
Henry L Hallock1, Amy L Griffin
1Department of Psychology, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA.
Hippocampus
|October 5, 2012
Summary
Hippocampal place cells remap between different tasks, especially when task structure varies. Experience with multiple tasks in the same environment may reduce trajectory coding in hippocampal neurons.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Behavioral Neuroscience
Background:
- Hippocampal place fields exhibit remapping between distinct environments, potentially aiding episodic memory.
- Remapping occurs with changes in visual landmarks or with experience in stable environments.
- Trajectory coding, a form of remapping, reflects neuronal firing based on recent or upcoming locations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how different task features (memory demand, structure) influence hippocampal place field remapping.
- To differentiate remapping patterns elicited by continuous alternation (CA), delayed alternation (DA), and conditional discrimination (CD) tasks.
- To assess the prevalence of trajectory coding across these tasks.
Main Methods:
- Recorded neuronal activity from dorsal CA1 of the hippocampus in rats.
- Rats performed three tasks: continuous spatial alternation (CA), delayed spatial alternation (DA), and tactile-visual conditional discrimination (CD).
- Analyzed place field remapping and trajectory coding patterns across tasks.
Main Results:
- Coherent remapping was observed between CA and CD tasks at both single-unit and population levels.
- Task remapping was infrequent between DA and CD tasks, despite population-level coherence.
- Trajectory coding on the T-maze stem was minimal across tasks, but present during the DA delay period.
Conclusions:
- Hippocampal remapping is sensitive to task structure and memory demands.
- Experience with multiple tasks in a shared environment may suppress trajectory coding.
- The salience and relevance of contextual features likely determine place field stability or change.
More Related Videos
10:45Preparation of Acute Slices from Dorsal Hippocampus for Whole-Cell Recording and Neuronal Reconstruction in the Dentate Gyrus of Adult Mice
Published on: April 3, 2021
17:45T-maze Forced Alternation and Left-right Discrimination Tasks for Assessing Working and Reference Memory in Mice
Published on: February 26, 2012
Related Concept Videos
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...
01:14Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory
The cerebellum, while traditionally associated with motor control, also plays a crucial role in memory, particularly in procedural memory, which involves learning motor tasks that become automatic through repetition. For example, studies have shown that when the cerebellum is damaged, individuals or animals lose the ability to learn conditioned motor responses, such as the conditioned eye-blink response in classical conditioning experiments with rabbits. This study demonstrates the cerebellum's...
01:23Storage
A schema is a mental framework that helps individuals organize and interpret information. Schemata, formed from previous experiences, influence how we process new information: how we encode it, the inferences we make, and how we retrieve it. For instance, a schema for what a typical classroom looks like might include desks, a teacher's desk, a whiteboard, and students in such an environment. This expectation helps us quickly understand and navigate new classrooms without needing to analyze each...
01:25Neural Circuits
Neural circuits and neuronal pools are two of the main structures found in the nervous system. Neural circuits are networks of neurons that work together to carry out a specific task or process. They consist of interconnected neurons and glial cells, which provide structural and metabolic support.
Neuronal pools are collections of nerve cells with similar functions and interact through chemical and electrical signals. These pools include both interneurons (the central neural circuit nodes that...
Neuronal pools are collections of nerve cells with similar functions and interact through chemical and electrical signals. These pools include both interneurons (the central neural circuit nodes that...