Hippocampus and memory: A systems level approach

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The hippocampus is situated at the hub of a set of distributed cortical networks that represent movement and perceptual information. Amnesia is the most prominent effect of damage to or dysfunction of the hippocampus and most forms of human memory disorder involve the hippocampus. The current proposal examines in detail how the interactions between the hippocampus and other cortical networks establishes long-term memories. We use a combination of molecular markers of cellular activation imaged across the whole cortex, temporary inactivation of hippocampus and connected regions using microinjections of inhibitors or designed receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs), and hippocampus-relevant memory tasks. We will discover exactly which types of information depend on the hippocampus and how the hippocampus modifies the functioning of the cortex through long-term interactions.