Machine learning-based segmentation of the rodent hippocampal CA2 area from Nissl-stained sections.

The hippocampus is a center of learning, memory, and spatial navigation. This region is divided into the CA1, CA2, and CA3 areas, which are anatomically different from each other. Among these divisions, the CA2 area is unique in terms of functional relevance to sociality.

Postnatal Maturation of Membrane Potential Dynamics during Hippocampal Ripples.

Sharp-wave ripples (SWRs) are transient high-frequency oscillations of local field potentials (LFPs) in the hippocampus and play a critical role in memory consolidation. During SWRs, CA1 pyramidal cells exhibit rapid spike sequences that often replay the sequential activity that occurred during behavior. This temporally organized firing activity gradually emerges during 2 weeks after the eye opening; however, it remains unclear how the organized spikes during SWRs mature at the intracellular membrane potential (m) level.

Theta oscillations represent collective dynamics of multineuronal membrane potentials of murine hippocampal pyramidal cells.

Theta (θ) oscillations are one of the characteristic local field potentials (LFPs) in the hippocampus that emerge during spatial navigation, exploratory sniffing, and rapid eye movement sleep. LFPs are thought to summarize multineuronal events, including synaptic currents and action potentials. However, no in vivo study to date has directly interrelated θ oscillations with the membrane potentials (Vm) of multiple neurons, and it remains unclear whether LFPs can be predicted from multineuronal Vms.

Inhibition allocates spikes during hippocampal ripples.

Sets of spikes emitted sequentially across neurons constitute fundamental pulse packets in neural information processing, including offline memory replay during hippocampal sharp-wave ripples (SWRs). The relative timing of neuronal spikes is fine-tuned in each spike sequence but can vary between different sequences. However, the microcircuitry mechanism that enables such flexible spike sequencing remains unexplored.

Molecular Characterization of Superficial Layers of the Presubiculum During Development.

The presubiculum, a subarea of the parahippocampal region, plays a critical role in spatial navigation and spatial representation. An outstanding aspect of presubicular spatial codes is head-direction selectivity of the firing of excitatory neurons, called head-direction cells. Head-direction selectivity emerges before eye-opening in rodents and is maintained in adulthood through neurophysiological interactions between excitatory and inhibitory neurons.

The subiculum sensitizes retrosplenial cortex layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons.

Key Points: Neurons in the retrosplenial cortex (RSC), a cerebral region that connects synaptically with various brain regions, are known to increase neuronal activity in accordance with hippocampal sharp wave-ripples. Pyramidal cells in granular RSC (gRSC) layer 2/3, but not layer 5, exhibit slowly ramping depolarization and considerably delayed spikes in response to a step-pulse current injection. The latencies of delayed spikes in RSC layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons were shortened by a preceding current injection.

In Vivo Whole-Cell Patch-Clamp Methods: Recent Technical Progress and Future Perspectives.

Brain functions are fundamental for the survival of organisms, and they are supported by neural circuits consisting of a variety of neurons. To investigate the function of neurons at the single-cell level, researchers often use whole-cell patch-clamp recording techniques. These techniques enable us to record membrane potentials (including action potentials) of individual neurons of not only anesthetized but also actively behaving animals.

Urethane anesthesia suppresses hippocampal subthreshold activity and neuronal synchronization.

Urethane, an anesthetic utilized for animal experiments, induces neocortical slow oscillations in which a large number of neurons emit rhythmic synchronized activity. However, it remains unclear how urethane affects neuronal activity in the hippocampus. In this study, we obtained in vivo patch-clamp recordings from dorsal hippocampal CA1 neurons in mice and found a reduction in the fluctuation of subthreshold membrane potentials during urethane anesthesia, implying reduced synaptic activity in the hippocampus.

Heterogeneous expression patterns of fibronectin in the mouse subiculum.

The subiculum displays as much anatomical and physiological heterogeneity as the hippocampus. Recent studies suggest that the subiculum is also diverse in terms of gene expression. However, few studies have investigated the heterogeneity of the entire subiculum.

Quick visualization of neurons in brain tissues using an optical clearing technique.

Neurons are classified into several morphological types according to the locations of their somata and the branching patterns of their axons and dendrites. Recent studies suggest that these morphological features are related to their physiological properties, including firing characteristics, responses to neuromodulators, and wiring patterns. Therefore, rapid morphological identification of electrophysiologically recorded neurons promises to advance our understanding of neuronal circuits.

Whisker electromyograms signify awake and anesthetized states in mice.

The behavioral state of animals is essential information for functional recordings of neuronal activity; practically, the exact timing when animals recover from anesthesia is important information. Recordings of cortical local field potentials and dorsal neck electromyograms (EMGs), a widely used method to identify behavioral states, requires at least two recording electrodes, one of which also requires a craniotomy procedure. In the present study, recordings of whisker EMGs alone are sufficient to detect the state switch from anesthesia to awakening in head-fixed mice.

Simultaneous monitoring of mouse respiratory and cardiac rates through a single precordial electrode.

Normal respiratory and circulatory functions are crucial for survival. However, conventional methods of monitoring respiration, some of which use sensors inserted into the nasal cavity, may interfere with naïve respiratory rates. In this study, we conducted a single-point measurement of electrocardiograms (ECGs) from the pectoral muscles of anesthetized and waking mice and found low-frequency oscillations in the ECG baseline.

Juvenile Hippocampal CA2 Region Expresses Aggrecan.

Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are distributed primarily around inhibitory interneurons in the hippocampus, such as parvalbumin-positive interneurons. PNNs are also present around excitatory neurons in some brain regions and prevent plasticity in these neurons. A recent study demonstrated that PNNs also exist around mouse hippocampal pyramidal cells, which are the principle type of excitatory neurons, in the CA2 subregion and modulate the excitability and plasticity of these neurons.