Elucidating diversity of excitatory neurons and neural ensembles in new hippocampal CA2 region

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K22583
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 51:Brain sciences and related fields
• Research Institution: Kansai Medical University
• Principal Investigator: KOHARA Keigo 関西医科大学, 医学部, 講師 (60740917)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-06-28 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 海馬 / CA2 / 多様性 / 集団性 / 神経回路 / 神経細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The new CA2 region is the most recently emerged region in the hippocampus (Kohara et al. Nat. Neurosci 2014). Using the repulsive segregation gene transfer technology "BATTLE" and new CA2 region-specific Cre knock-in mice, Cre-dependent AAV, etc., we conducted an exploratory analysis of diversity and subpopulation in the new CA2 region. We found the characteristic and non-uniform projection patterns of neural circuits from CA2 to CA2 (unpublished) and obtained new preliminary experimental data on diversity and collectivity in the neo-CA2 region. We published a review article (Shinohara, Y and Kohara, K, Hippocampus 2023) that comprehensively explains the new definition of CA2 and the differences in the projection patterns between CA2 and CA3.

Free Research Field

神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

海馬新CA2領域は、社会性記憶形成に重要な役割を持つことが、近年の研究から明らかになってきているが、そのメカニズムの全貌は未だ明らかになってはいない。本研究課題で得られた予備的な研究結果によって、海馬新CA2領域の多様性と集団性の一端の解明が進んだ。社会性記憶形成のメカニズム解明進展に基盤的に貢献する予備的な知見が得られた。