Network activity homeostatically alters synaptic efficacy to constrain neuronal output. However, it is unclear how such compensatory adaptations coexist with synaptic information storage, especially in established networks. Here, we report that in mature hippocampal neurons in vitro, network activity preferentially regulated excitatory synapses within the proximal dendrites of CA3 neurons. Thes...

We investigated how experience regulates the structure of a defined neuronal circuit in adult mice. Enriched environment (EE) produced a robust and reversible increase in hippocampal stratum lucidum synapse numbers, mossy fiber terminal (LMT) numbers, and spine plus synapse densities at LMTs, whereas a distinct mechanism depending on Rab3a promoted LMT volume growth. In parallel, EE increased p...

The impact of regional hippocampal interactions and GABAergic transmission on ictogenesis remain unclear. Cortico-hippocampal slices from pilocarpine-treated epileptic rats were compared with controls to investigate associations between seizurelike events (SLE), GABAergic transmission, and neuronal synchrony within and between cortico-hippocampal regions. Multielectrode array recordings reveale...

The transcription factor cAMP response-element binding protein (CREB) has a pivotal role in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and hippocampus-dependent long-term memory. We recently demonstrated that the dorsal hippocampal CA3 region is involved in memory consolidation of spatial information tested on a Morris water maze in mice. To test whether activation of CREB in the CA3 region is required fo...

In hippocampal area CA1 of rats, the frequency of gamma activity has been shown to increase with running speed (Ahmed and Mehta, 2012). This finding suggests that different gamma frequencies simply allow for different timings of transitions across cell assemblies at varying running speeds, rather than serving unique functions. However, accumulating evidence supports the conclusion that slow (∼2...

Mutations in the human X-linked doublecortin gene (DCX) cause major neocortical disorganization associated with severe intellectual disability and intractable epilepsy. Although Dcx knockout (KO) mice exhibit normal isocortical development and architecture, they show lamination defects of the hippocampal pyramidal cell layer largely restricted to the CA3 region. Dcx-KO mice also exhibit interne...

During development, activity-dependent processes increase the specificity of neural responses to stimuli, but the role that this type of process plays in adult plasticity is unclear. We examined the dynamics of hippocampal activity as animals learned about new environments to understand how neural selectivity changes with experience. Hippocampal principal neurons fire when the animal is located...

Vesicular transmitter release can be regulated by transmitter-gated ion channels at presynaptic axon terminals. The central inhibitory transmitter GABA acts on such presynaptic ionotropic receptors in various cells, including inhibitory interneurons. Here we report that GABA-mediated postsynaptic inhibitory currents in CA3 pyramidal cells of rat hippocampal slices are suppressed by agonists of ...

We asked whether the structural heterogeneity of the hippocampal CA3-CA2 axis is reflected in how space is mapped onto place cells in CA3-CA2. Place fields were smaller and sharper in proximal CA3 than in distal CA3 and CA2. The proximodistal shift was accompanied by a progressive loss in the ability of place cells to distinguish configurations of the same spatial environment, as well as a redu...

Pyramidal neurons in the CA1 region of the hippocampus are highly vulnerable to damage from hypoxia-ischemia, whereas neurons in the CA3 region and the dentate gyrus are more resistant. A similar pattern of vulnerability to loss of synaptic and membrane function occurs in the in vitro hippocampal slice preparation, suggesting that intrinsic factors are important in acute neuronal damage. Simult...