Recording and manipulating hub/cluster neurons depending on brain states

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: Morphological features and gene expression patterns underlying hub neurons
• Project/Area Number: 20H05775
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Transformative Research Areas, Section (III)
• Research Institution: Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
• Principal Investigator: Murayama Masanori 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 脳神経科学研究センター, チームリーダー (30578901)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-10-02 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 記憶の固定化 / 大脳新皮質 / ハブ細胞 / 広視野２光子顕微鏡 / ネットワーク

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In order to capture neural activity associated with the consolidation of tactile perceptual memories during sleep, we conducted experiments utilizing a texture recognition task developed in our laboratory. To visualize the neural activity, we utilized fast and wide-field two-photon microscopy. A detailed account of the experimental workflow and relevant methodologies employing this microscopy technique was summarized and published as a protocol paper (Oomoto et al., STAR protocols, 2021). To investigate the potential involvement of hub cells in memory consolidation, we examined whether the composition of the hub cell population undergoes dynamic changes before and after the tactile perception memory task. Our findings revealed that the composition of the hub cell population becomes destabilized when mice form perceptual memories.

Free Research Field

神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

これまでに我々は、脳内において100以上の他のニューロンと協調的に活動する非常にレアなハブ細胞を報告していたが、これら細胞が脳機能と関連するかは不明のままであった。今回の研究では、マウスが知覚記憶を形成すると、ハブ細胞集団の構成が不安定化することを見出した。我々は、この結果は、ハブ細胞を含む従来のネットワークに脳が新しい情報を書き込んでいる過程を捉えていると推察する。