Article
Neurosciences
Sydney Trask, Fred J. Helmstetter
Summary: The rat retrosplenial cortex (RSC) plays a critical role in learning and memory. This study provides evidence that inhibition of cells in the posterior RSC during pre-exposure to a training context reduces behavioral responding during subsequent memory tests. Inhibition of either anterior or posterior RSC during shock delivery impairs memory, and inhibiting cellular activity in the posterior RSC during memory retrieval reduces responding. These findings demonstrate the importance of the posterior RSC in memory formation, retrieval, and expression of contextual information.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Christopher M. Dillingham, Michal M. Milczarek, James C. Perry, Seralynne D. Vann
Summary: Research has shown that the mammillary body-anterior thalamic axis plays a crucial role in memory and amnesia, affecting contextual and temporal memory processing. The projections from the mammillothalamic tract have significant distal influence over thalamo-cortical and hippocampo-cortical interactions.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Evan E. Hart, Matthew P. H. Gardner, Geoffrey Schoenbaum
Summary: Among all frontocortical subregions, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has overlapping theories of function. Studies have shown that ACC can produce correlates of learning even in the absence of clear biological significance, suggesting its role in representing associative pairing of events.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
John P. Aggleton, Seralynne D. Vann, Shane M. O'Mara
Summary: Understanding the neural basis of episodic memory requires an appreciation of the significance of the fornix. Through studying patients with colloid cysts, it was found that there is a consistent relationship between mammillary body volume and episodic memory recall. Additionally, a dissociation between recollective-based recognition and familiarity-based recognition was observed, highlighting the importance of the mammillary body-anterior thalamic nuclei axis and the hippocampus for episodic memory.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Andrew J. D. Nelson
Summary: The anterior thalamic nuclei play a crucial role in spatial learning and memory, but recent research has shown that their functions extend beyond spatial processing to include temporal discrimination and processing of other contextual information. Additionally, these nuclei are also important for non-spatial learning, including attentional mechanisms. This indicates the need to reconsider the functions of the anterior thalamic nuclei within a broader framework of connections with sites supporting non-spatial functions such as the anterior cingulate cortex.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ingrid M. Esteves, HaoRan Chang, Adam R. Neumann, Bruce L. McNaughton
Summary: Systems-level memory consolidation involves the conversion of memories from hippocampus-dependent to hippocampus-independent forms. Little is known about the neural codes at the cellular ensemble level in consolidated memory. This study shows that while a novel virtual environment is not learned or represented in the superficial cortex after severe hippocampal damage, pre-operatively learned memories and their corresponding neural ensemble representations are preserved in cortical layers II-III, providing insights for future research on the cellular mechanisms of memory consolidation.
Article
Neurosciences
Clark W. Bird, Stefanie S. Mayfield, Katalina M. Lopez, Brooke R. Dunn, Angela Feng, Bryce T. Roberts, Roberto N. Almeida, Glenna J. Chavez, C. Fernando Valenzuela
Summary: Our study suggests that exposure to alcohol during the first week of life can induce apoptosis in brain regions and result in long-lasting alterations in neuronal function, contributing to learning and memory deficits.
Article
Neurosciences
Adam M. P. Miller, Anna C. Serrichio, David M. Smith
Summary: The retrosplenial cortex (RSC) is believed to play a crucial role in spatial and contextual memory processes. Through recording RSC neuronal responses in rats exploring different environments, researchers discovered two types of context representations: one based on a novel rate code where neurons fire at a higher rate in the preferred context, and a second involving context-dependent spatial firing patterns similar to those in the hippocampus. This suggests that the RSC employs a unique dual-factor representational mechanism to support contextual memory.
Article
Neurosciences
Tsung-Chih Tsai, Ting-Hsuan Yu, Yu-Chieh Hung, Lok-Ieng Fong, Kuei-Sen Hsu
Summary: This study identifies the specific role of the retrosplenial granular area (RSG) in the retrieval of remote contextual fear memories (CFMs) and provides circuit evidence for the reliance on direct RSG-to-CA1 connectivity. The findings enhance our understanding of the brain circuit mechanisms underlying the retrieval of remote CFMs and may aid in the development of therapeutic strategies for attenuating remote traumatic memories.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Sydney Trask, Shane E. Pullins, Nicole C. Ferrara, Fred J. Helmstetter
Summary: Recent studies have indicated that there are different impacts on memory formation when either the anterior or posterior region of the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) is damaged in rats. Inhibition of neural activity in the anterior RSC selectively impacted behavior evoked by the auditory CS, while inhibition of the posterior RSC selectively impaired memory for the context in which training was conducted. These findings highlight distinct roles of subregions of the RSC in learning and memory.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Sydney Trask, Nicole C. Ferrara, Kevin Grisales, Fred J. Helmstetter
Summary: Research has shown that the retrosplenial cortex plays a role in memory formation and retention, with memory storage becoming distributed to a wider network than is initially needed for consolidation.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF LEARNING AND MEMORY
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
James B. Heald, Daniel M. Wolpert, Mate Lengyel
Summary: Flexible behavior relies on creating, updating, and expressing memories in context. However, the challenge of contextual uncertainty in naturalistic conditions has been overlooked. This review explores a theoretical approach to context-dependent learning and the necessary computations to deal with contextual inference. By organizing diverse experimental observations, from brain organization to behavior, this framework highlights the importance of contextual inference in learning and its potential role in continual learning in the brain.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Mengxuan Gao, Asako Noguchi, Yuji Ikegaya
Summary: Neurons in the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) exhibit short-term intrinsic plasticity, in which delayed spikes in response to current injection can be shortened by a preceding depolarization. This priming-induced sensitization lasts for more than 3 seconds, potentially modulating subsequent information integration in RSC circuits. Activation of subicular afferents replicates this facilitatory priming effect, suggesting a role for subicular inputs in regulating RSC neuronal activity.
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Jiali Liu, Tao Yu, Jinfeng Wu, Yali Pan, Zheng Tan, Ruobing Liu, Xueyuan Wang, Liankun Ren, Liang Wang
Summary: Electrical stimulation of the anterior nucleus of thalamus (ANT) can improve working memory precision by modulating hippocampal gamma activity.Increased gamma power in the pre-stimulus and retrieval period predicts the improvement of working memory precision judgements.
Article
Neurosciences
Edmund T. Rolls, Sylvia Wirth, Gustavo Deco, Chu-Chung Huang, Jianfeng Feng
Summary: The functional connectivity of different parts of the human posterior cingulate cortex with other brain regions was investigated, revealing their involvement in memory and navigation.
HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Gregory J. Peters, David M. Smith
BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Neurosciences
David A. Bulkin, David G. Sinclair, L. Matthew Law, David M. Smith
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Max Levinson, Jacob P. Kolenda, Gabriella J. Alexandrou, Olga Escanilla, Thomas A. Cleland, David M. Smith, Christiane Linster
BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Neurosciences
Wen-Yi Wu, Eunice Yiu, Alexander G. Ophir, David M. Smith
Summary: The hippocampus is important for contextual and social memory. Previous studies have shown that it encodes and differentiates spatial contexts through remapping, but it is unclear whether it does the same for social contexts. This study found that while remapping was not observed for social contexts, a subset of hippocampal neurons selectively fired near conspecific cages in the ventral region, suggesting a role in encoding the conjunction of conspecifics, their location, and the environment.