Cellular dynamics of the hippocampus and anterior cingulate cortex in consolidation of spatial memory

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K22686
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0704:Neuroscience, brain sciences, and related fields
• Research Institution: Kobe University (2021); Kyoto University (2020)
• Principal Investigator: BOTA Ayaka 神戸大学, 医学研究科, 特命助教 (10884645)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-09-11 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: in vivoイメージング / 海馬 / 前帯状皮質 / 記憶

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The memory initially formed in the　hippocampus (HPC) is subsequently transferred to cortex through memory consolidation process. However how memory is consolidated in cortex (Anterior cingulate cortex; ACC) is not known. We found a small proportion of neurons (named ‘spatial context cell’) in ACC that responds to an large field. The fraction of spatial context cell increased after 9 days training. However inhibition of hippocampus during or after learning impaired increase of spatial-context cell. In addition, this increase of spatial-context cell is depend on long-term memory. This suggests the appearance of spatial context cells depends on hippocampal projections during and after learning to form long-term memory in cortex. Thus, spatial context cell is considered as spatial information formed as a result of memory consolidation process.

Free Research Field

神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

記憶は海馬で形成され、休眠中の再発火により皮質へ移行し長期記憶になると考えられていたが、それを細胞レベルで直接的に示す研究はなかった。申請者の発見した空間文脈細胞は学習中、休眠中の海馬-皮質間の再発火により前帯状皮質へが形成され、空間、文脈の長期記憶を表象することが明らかになり、記憶の固定化を細胞レベルで示すものである。これらの発見により長期記憶が形成される詳細なメカニズムがさらに明らかになると期待される。