The global record of memory in hippocampal neuronal activity

In humans the hippocampal region of the brain is crucial for declarative or episodic memory for a broad range of materials. In contrast, there has been controversy over whether the hippocampus mediates a similarly general memory function in other species, or whether it is dedicated to spatial memory processing. Evidence for the spatial view is derived principally from the observations of 'place cells'-hippocampal neurons that fire whenever the animal is in a particular location in its environment, or when it perceives a specific stimulus or performs a specific behaviour in a particular place. We trained rats to perform the same recognition memory task in several distinct locations in a rich spatial environment and found that the activity of many hippocampal neurons was related consistently to perceptual, behavioural or cognitive events, regardless of the location where these events occurred. These results indicate that nonspatial events are fundamental elements of hippocampal representation, and support the view that, across species, the hippocampus has a broad role in information processing associated with memory.     

Long-lasting self-inhibition of neocortical interneurons mediated by endocannabinoids

Neocortical GABA-containing interneurons form complex functional networks responsible for feedforward and feedback inhibition and for the generation of cortical oscillations associated with several behavioural functions. We previously reported that fast-spiking (FS), but not low-threshold-spiking (LTS), neocortical interneurons from rats generate a fast and precise self-inhibition mediated by inhibitory autaptic transmission. Here we show that LTS cells possess a different form of self-inhibition. LTS, but not FS, interneurons undergo a prominent hyperpolarization mediated by an increased K+-channel conductance. This self-induced inhibition lasts for many minutes, is dependent on an increase in intracellular [Ca2+] and is blocked by the cannabinoid receptor antagonist AM251, indicating that it is mediated by the autocrine release of endogenous cannabinoids. Endocannabinoid-mediated slow self-inhibition represents a powerful and long-lasting mechanism that alters the intrinsic excitability of LTS neurons, which selectively target the major site of excitatory connections onto pyramidal neurons; that is, their dendrites. Thus, modulation of LTS networks after their sustained firing will lead to long-lasting changes of glutamate-mediated synaptic strength in pyramidal neurons, with consequences during normal and pathophysiological cortical network activities.     

A frequency-dependent switch from inhibition to excitation in a hippocampal unitary circuit

The hippocampus, a brain structure essential for memory and cognition, is classically represented as a trisynaptic excitatory circuit. Recent findings challenge this view, particularly with regard to the mossy fibre input to CA3, the second synapse in the trisynaptic pathway. Thus, the powerful mossy fibre input to CA3 pyramidal cells might mediate both synaptic excitation and inhibition. Here we show, by recording from connected cell pairs in rat entorhinal-hippocampal slice cultures, that single action potentials in a dentate granule cell evoke a net inhibitory signal in a pyramidal cell. The hyperpolarization is due to disynaptic feedforward inhibition, which overwhelms monosynaptic excitation. Interestingly, this net inhibitory synaptic response changes to an excitatory signal when the frequency of presynaptic action potentials increases. The process responsible for this switch involves the facilitation of monosynaptic excitatory transmission coupled with rapid depression of inhibitory circuits. This ability to immediately switch the polarity of synaptic responses constitutes a novel synaptic mechanism, which might be crucial to the state-dependent processing of information in associative hippocampal networks.     

A study on discharge features of interneuron in the hippocampal network

The firing of neurons in the hippocampal network has a close relationship with human memory and learning. In this paper, a numerical simulation of interneurons in the hippocampal network has been operated. It analyzes the influence of external stimulation on firing rhythms. The diversity of firing pattern, especially the circle of unit firing pattern, is shown by ISI.     

Subthreshold Na+-dependent theta-like rhythmicity in stellate cells of entorhinal cortex layer II

The oscillation of membrane potential in mammalian central neurons is of interest because it relates to the role of oscillations in brain function. It has been proposed that the entorhinal cortex (EC), particularly the stellate cells of layer II (ECIIscs), plays an important part in the genesis of the theta rhythm. These neurons occupy a key position in the neocortex-hippocampus-neocortex circuit, a crucial crossroad in memory functions. Neuronal oscillations typically rely on the activation of voltage-dependent Ca2+ conductances and the Ca2+ -dependent K+ conductance that usually follows, as seen in other limbic subcortical structures generating theta rhythmicity. Here we report, however, that similar oscillations are generated in ECIIscs by a Na+ conductance. The finding of a subthreshold, voltage-gated, Na+ -dependent rhythmic membrane oscillation in mammalian neurons indicates that rhythmicity in heterogeneous neuronal networks may be supported by different sets of intrinsic ionic mechanisms in each of the neuronal elements involved.     

Distribution of spatial and nonspatial information in dorsal hippocampus

The hippocampus in the mammalian brain is required for the encoding of current and the retention of past experience. Previous studies have shown that the hippocampus contains neurons that encode information required to perform spatial and nonspatial short-term memory tasks. A more detailed understanding of the functional anatomy of the hippocampus would provide important insight into how such encoding occurs. Here we show that hippocampal neurons in the rat are distributed anatomically in distinct segments along the length of the hippocampus. Each longitudinal segment contains clusters of neurons that become active when the animal performs a task with spatial attributes. Within these same segments are ordered arrangements of neurons that encode the nonspatial aspects of the task appropriate to those spatial features. Thus, anatomical segregation of spatial information, together with the interleaved representation of nonspatial information, represents a structural framework that may help to resolve conflicting views of hippocampal function.     

Endogenous cannabinoids mediate retrograde signalling at hippocampal synapses

Marijuana affects brain function primarily by activating the G-protein-coupled cannabinoid receptor-1 (CB1), which is expressed throughout the brain at high levels. Two endogenous lipids, anandamide and 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG), have been identified as CB1 ligands. Depolarized hippocampal neurons rapidly release both anandamide and 2-AG in a Ca2+-dependent manner. In the hippocampus, CB1 is expressed mainly by GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)-mediated inhibitory interneurons, where CB1 clusters on the axon terminal. A synthetic CB1 agonist depresses GABA release from hippocampal slices. These findings indicate that the function of endogenous cannabinoids released by depolarized hippocampal neurons might be to downregulate GABA release. Here we show that the transient suppression of GABA-mediated transmission that follows depolarization of hippocampal pyramidal neurons is mediated by retrograde signalling through release of endogenous cannabinoids. Signalling by the endocannabinoid system thus represents a mechanism by which neurons can communicate backwards across synapses to modulate their inputs.     

产前应激子代大鼠海马可塑性改变诱导抑郁样行为的发生

研究旨在探索海马可塑性改变在产前应激(PS)子代大鼠抑郁样行为中的作用。通过建立大鼠产前束缚应激模型,采用强迫游泳实验检测子代大鼠的抑郁样行为,快速Golgi染色观察海马CA1区锥体细胞顶树突的树突棘密度,Western-blotting检测海马脑源性神经营养因子(BDNF)的表达。结果发现,与对照组相比较,PS组雌、雄子代大鼠强迫游泳实验(FST)中的不动时间均明显增加,有统计学差异(P0.05),而且PS组雌性子代大鼠的不动时间较雄性子代更加延长(P0.05)。PS组雌、雄子代大鼠海马CA1区锥体细胞的顶树突棘密度均较对照组显著减少(P0.05),PS组雌、雄子代之间无统计学差异。PS组雌、雄子代大鼠海马的BDNF表达均较对照组显著减少(P0.05),PS组雌、雄子代之间亦无显著性差异。这些结果说明海马CA1区锥体细胞的树突棘密度减少和海马BDNF表达减少参与PS导致的子代大鼠抑郁样行为的发生。     

Functional neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus

There is extensive evidence indicating that new neurons are generated in the dentate gyrus of the adult mammalian hippocampus, a region of the brain that is important for learning and memory. However, it is not known whether these new neurons become functional, as the methods used to study adult neurogenesis are limited to fixed tissue. We use here a retroviral vector expressing green fluorescent protein that only labels dividing cells, and that can be visualized in live hippocampal slices. We report that newly generated cells in the adult mouse hippocampus have neuronal morphology and can display passive membrane properties, action potentials and functional synaptic inputs similar to those found in mature dentate granule cells. Our findings demonstrate that newly generated cells mature into functional neurons in the adult mammalian brain.     

脑蛋白水解液对七氟醚麻醉导致的大鼠学习记忆障碍的影响

目的 探讨脑蛋白水解液(CHI)对七氟醚麻醉导致的大鼠学习记忆障碍的影响,并分析其可能作用机制.方法 将32只大鼠随机分为七氟醚组、CHI高剂量组、CHI低剂量组和对照组,每组8只.七氟醚组吸入2％ 七氟醚,每天2 h,连续7 d,CHI高剂量组每天吸入七氟醚之前,尾静脉注射脑蛋白水解液1200μL,CHI低剂量组每天...     

Hippocampal abnormalities in amnesic patients revealed by high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging

The identification of brain structures and connections involved in memory functions has depended largely on clinico-pathological studies of memory-impaired patients, and more recently on studies of a primate model of human amnesia. But quantitative neurobehavioural data and detailed neuropathological information are rarely available for the same patients. One case has demonstrated that selective bilateral damage to the hippocampus causes a circumscribed memory impairment in the absence of other intellectual deficits. This finding, in conjunction with evidence from humans and monkeys, indicates that the hippocampus together with adjacent and anatomically related structures is essential for the formation of long-term memory, perhaps by virtue of the extensive reciprocal connections between the hippocampal formation and putative memory storage sites in the neocortex. Although cognitive studies of amnesia provide useful information about the functional organization of normal memory, it has not usually been possible to relate memory impairment to anatomy in living patients. We have developed a high-resolution protocol for imaging the human hippocampus with magnetic resonance that permits visualization of the hippocampal formation in substantial cytoarchitectonic detail, revealing abnormalities in patients with severe and selective memory impairment.     

大白鼠海马神经元NOS与AChE活性的研究

目的:观察大白鼠海马不同亚区一氧化氮合酶(NOS)与乙酰胆碱酯酶(AChE)阳性神经元的活性。方法:分别采用还原型尼克酰胺嘌呤二核苷酸脱氢酶(NADPH-d)和乙酰胆碱酯酶(AChE)组织化学方法对大白鼠海马不同亚区NOS和AChE阳性神经元的分布以及活性进行研究。结果:海马不同亚区均含有NOS和AChE阳性神经元,其中CA2区NOS呈强阳性反应,CA3区AChE呈强阳性反应。结论:实验表明,NOS和AChE阳性神经元广泛分布于大白鼠海马不同亚区,为进一步探讨海马的学习记忆功能机制提供了形态学佐证。     

Dissecting a circuit for olfactory behaviour in Caenorhabditis elegans

Although many properties of the nervous system are shared among animals and systems, it is not known whether different neuronal circuits use common strategies to guide behaviour. Here we characterize information processing by Caenorhabditis elegans olfactory neurons (AWC) and interneurons (AIB and AIY) that control food- and odour-evoked behaviours. Using calcium imaging and mutations that affect specific neuronal connections, we show that AWC neurons are activated by odour removal and activate the AIB interneurons through AMPA-type glutamate receptors. The level of calcium in AIB interneurons is elevated for several minutes after odour removal, a neuronal correlate to the prolonged behavioural response to odour withdrawal. The AWC neuron inhibits AIY interneurons through glutamate-gated chloride channels; odour presentation relieves this inhibition and results in activation of AIY interneurons. The opposite regulation of AIY and AIB interneurons generates a coordinated behavioural response. Information processing by this circuit resembles information flow from vertebrate photoreceptors to 'OFF' bipolar and 'ON' bipolar neurons, indicating a conserved or convergent strategy for sensory information processing.     

Long-Term Exposure to High Corticosterone Levels Inducing a Decrease of Adenylate Kinase 1 Activity

Corticosterone, a principal glucocorticoid synthesized in the rodent adrenal cortex, can be cumulatively toxic to hippocampal neurons, the cause of which is not known. The present study determined whether the cytosol adenylate kinase (AK) system was involved in the neuronal damage induced by long-term exposure to high corticosterone levels. We investigated the effects of long-term exposure to high corticosterone levels on AK1 activity, AK1 mRNA expression, and energy levels in cultured hippocampal neurons. The results show that long-term exposure to high corticosterone levels induces a reduction of the cultured hippocampal neuron viability, significantly reduces energy levels, and causes a time-dependant reduction of the AK1 activity. These findings indicate that changes in the AK system might be the mechanism underlying neuronal damage induced by long-term exposure to high corticosterone levels.     

Corticotropin regulates transsynaptically the activity of septo-hippocampal cholinergic neurones

The activity of septo-hippocampal neurones is affected by the action on cholinergic perikarya in the septum of a variety of putative neurotransmitters, including substance P and beta-endorphin. (The latter is released in the septal region from neurones which originate in the medial basal hypothalamus.) It has also been reported that two other neuropeptides, corticotropin (ACTH1-24) and alpha-melanotropin (alpha-MSH), affect acetylcholine turnover in septo-hippocampal neurones in a manner that is not blocked by transection of the afferents to the hippocampus, from which it has been inferred that the neurotransmitters act directly on the hippocampus. We now describe experiments with corticotropin which show that the effect is rather the influence on septo-hippocampal cholinergic neurones of peptidergic neurones within the septum.     

Learning-related feedforward inhibitory connectivity growth required for memory precision

In the adult brain, new synapses are formed and pre-existing ones are lost, but the function of this structural plasticity has remained unclear. Learning of new skills is correlated with formation of new synapses. These may directly encode new memories, but they may also have more general roles in memory encoding and retrieval processes. Here we investigated how mossy fibre terminal complexes at the entry of hippocampal and cerebellar circuits rearrange upon learning in mice, and what is the functional role of the rearrangements. We show that one-trial and incremental learning lead to robust, circuit-specific, long-lasting and reversible increases in the numbers of filopodial synapses onto fast-spiking interneurons that trigger feedforward inhibition. The increase in feedforward inhibition connectivity involved a majority of the presynaptic terminals, restricted the numbers of c-Fos-expressing postsynaptic neurons at memory retrieval, and correlated temporally with the quality of the memory. We then show that for contextual fear conditioning and Morris water maze learning, increased feedforward inhibition connectivity by hippocampal mossy fibres has a critical role for the precision of the memory and the learned behaviour. In the absence of mossy fibre long-term potentiation in Rab3a(-/-) mice, c-Fos ensemble reorganization and feedforward inhibition growth were both absent in CA3 upon learning, and the memory was imprecise. By contrast, in the absence of adducin 2 (Add2; also known as β-adducin) c-Fos reorganization was normal, but feedforward inhibition growth was abolished. In parallel, c-Fos ensembles in CA3 were greatly enlarged, and the memory was imprecise. Feedforward inhibition growth and memory precision were both rescued by re-expression of Add2 specifically in hippocampal mossy fibres. These results establish a causal relationship between learning-related increases in the numbers of defined synapses and the precision of learning and memory in the adult. The results further relate plasticity and feedforward inhibition growth at hippocampal mossy fibres to the precision of hippocampus-dependent memories.     

云南蜂胶和山东蜂胶醇提物对小鼠学习记忆的影响

为探讨云南和山东蜂胶醇提物对小鼠学习记忆功能的影响,研究采用被动回避、Morris水迷宫任务和焦油紫染色法,测量小鼠被动回避的潜伏期、穿越水迷宫平台区域的次数和大脑海马区神经元数量。结果显示:两种蜂胶醇提物的高剂量组被动回避的潜伏期均大于对照组(P<0.05),其穿越水迷宫目标平台次数均显著高于对照组(P<0.05),组间差异不显著(P>0.05);两种蜂胶醇提物对海马区神经元数量均无影响。结论:蜂胶醇提物能提高小鼠的学习记忆能力,但可能与海马神经元发生无关。     

Hippocampus-independent phase precession in entorhinal grid cells

Theta-phase precession in hippocampal place cells is one of the best-studied experimental models of temporal coding in the brain. Theta-phase precession is a change in spike timing in which the place cell fires at progressively earlier phases of the extracellular theta rhythm as the animal crosses the spatially restricted firing field of the neuron. Within individual theta cycles, this phase advance results in a compressed replication of the firing sequence of consecutively activated place cells along the animal's trajectory, at a timescale short enough to enable spike-time-dependent plasticity between neurons in different parts of the sequence. The neuronal circuitry required for phase precession has not yet been established. The fact that phase precession can be seen in hippocampal output stuctures such as the prefrontal cortex suggests either that efferent structures inherit the precession from the hippocampus or that it is generated locally in those structures. Here we show that phase precession is expressed independently of the hippocampus in spatially modulated grid cells in layer II of medial entorhinal cortex, one synapse upstream of the hippocampus. Phase precession is apparent in nearly all principal cells in layer II but only sparsely in layer III. The precession in layer II is not blocked by inactivation of the hippocampus, suggesting that the phase advance is generated in the grid cell network. The results point to possible mechanisms for grid formation and raise the possibility that hippocampal phase precession is inherited from entorhinal cortex.     

电针对AD模型大鼠海马神经干细胞Nestin及学习记忆能力的影响

目的:探讨电针对淀粉样肽(-AP)所致阿尔茨海默病(AD)模型大鼠脑内Nestin表达的影响,并对其保护作用提供理论依据.方法:取健康的SD大鼠40只,随机分为正常组、假手术组、模型组和电针组.用A 1-40微量注射至大鼠双侧Meynert基底核,建立AD模型,用电针进行治疗.于治疗后用Morris水迷宫检测大鼠的学习记忆能力,用免疫组化染色法检测Nestin阳性神经细胞数的表达.结果:①学习记忆观察:电针组的逃避潜伏期较模型组明显缩短,大鼠在原平台象限游泳时间占整个游泳时间的百分比显著升高,穿过原平台所在位置的次数明显增加(<0.01).②Nestin免疫组化检测:电针组大鼠海马Nestin阳性神经元数量在治疗组表达最强,与模型组相比具有显著性差异(<0.01).结论:电针能增强AD模型大鼠海马神经干细胞Nestin的表达,提高AD大鼠的学习记忆能力,其机制尚需讨论.