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Ventral CA1 neurons store social memory.

Teruhiro Okuyama1, Takashi Kitamura1, Dheeraj S Roy1

  • 1RIKEN-MIT Center for Neural Circuit Genetics at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Biology and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|October 7, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The ventral hippocampus (vCA1) and its projections to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell are crucial for social memory in mice. Specific vCA1 neurons activated by familiar mice are key to recalling social recognition.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Memory Research
  • Social Cognition

Background:

  • The medial temporal lobe, particularly the hippocampus, is known to be involved in social memory.
  • However, the precise neural circuits and specific subregions responsible for storing social memories remain largely unidentified.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of specific hippocampal subregions and their projections in the storage and retrieval of social memory.
  • To identify the neural substrates within the ventral hippocampus and nucleus accumbens shell that underpin social memory formation and recall.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized optogenetics in mice to manipulate and record neuronal activity in the ventral hippocampus (vCA1) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell.
  • Compared neuronal activation patterns in vCA1 when mice encountered familiar versus unfamiliar conspecifics.
  • Investigated the necessity and sufficiency of vCA1 neurons and their NAc projections for social memory recall.

Main Results:

  • Ventral hippocampal CA1 (vCA1) neurons and their projections to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell were found to be both necessary and sufficient for social memory.
  • A greater proportion of vCA1 cells were activated, with increased strength and stability, when responding to a familiar mouse compared to an unfamiliar one.
  • Optogenetic reactivation of vCA1 neurons that responded to a familiar mouse successfully retrieved social memory and associated it with unconditioned stimuli.

Conclusions:

  • Ventral hippocampal CA1 (vCA1) neurons and their projections to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell are critical components of the neural circuit for social memory storage.
  • These specific neuronal populations and pathways are essential for distinguishing familiar from unfamiliar individuals and recalling social information.