Inhibitory conductance controls place field dynamics in the hippocampus

Hippocampal place cells receive a disparate collection of excitatory and inhibitory currents that endow them with spatially selective discharges and rhythmic activity. Using a combination of in vivo intracellular and extracellular recordings with opto/chemogenetic manipulations and computational modeling, we investigate the influence of inhibitory and excitatory inputs on CA1 pyramidal cell responses. At the cell bodies, inhibition leads and is stronger than excitation across the entire theta cycle. Pyramidal neurons fire on the ascending phase of theta when released from inhibition. Computational models equipped with the observed conductances reproduce these dynamics. In these models, place field properties are favored when the increased excitation is coupled with a reduction of inhibition within the field. As predicted by our simulations, firing rate within place fields and phase locking to theta are impaired by DREADDs activation of interneurons. Our results indicate that decreased inhibitory conductance is critical for place field expression.