Structure-function relationships and plasticity in the rodent hippocampus

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Since the discovery of place cells, hippocampus-dependent spatial navigation in rodents has been an ideal model system for investigating the neural basis of episodic memory. The rapid formation of place maps in the hippocampus, and their rapid reorganization during learning, are thought to reflect mechanisms of episodic learning and memory. Yet, the cellular mechanisms by which hippocampal spatial maps are generated or plastically modified during learning, have remained largely elusive. In the present proposal, we will employ state-of-the-art single cell recording and stimulation techniques for addressing two major goals. First - by recording and labeling single neurons in freely-moving mice - we aim at resolving the contribution of distinct pyramidal cell types to hippocampal coding. Second - by precise spatio-temporal manipulations of single cell activity - we aim at resolving spike-dependent plasticity mechanisms of hippocampal coding during natural behavior. This proposal will thus advance our understanding on the cellular basis of pattern formation in hippocampal circuits, which is of crucial importance for understanding healthy and diseased spatial memory processing.