Deep learning-based feature extraction for prediction and interpretation of sharp-wave ripples in the rodent hippocampus.

Local field potential (LFP) deflections and oscillations define hippocampal sharp-wave ripples (SWRs), one of the most synchronous events of the brain. SWRs reflect firing and synaptic current sequences emerging from cognitively relevant neuronal ensembles. While spectral analysis have permitted advances, the surge of ultra-dense recordings now call for new automatic detection strategies.

The Dorsal Striatum Energizes Motor Routines.

The dorsal striatum (dS) has been implicated in storing procedural memories and controlling movement kinematics. Since procedural memories are expressed through movements, the exact nature of the dS function has proven difficult to delineate. Here, we challenged rats in complementary locomotion-based tasks designed to alleviate this confound.

Turning the body into a clock: Accurate timing is facilitated by simple stereotyped interactions with the environment.

How animals adapt their behavior according to regular time intervals between events is not well understood, especially when intervals last several seconds. One possibility is that animals use disembodied internal neuronal representations of time to decide when to initiate a given action at the end of an interval. However, animals rarely remain immobile during time intervals but tend to perform stereotyped behaviors, raising the possibility that motor routines improve timing accuracy.

Immature Dentate Granule Cells Require Ntrk2/Trkb for the Formation of Functional Hippocampal Circuitry.

Early in brain development, impaired neuronal signaling during time-sensitive windows triggers the onset of neurodevelopmental disorders. GABA, through its depolarizing and excitatory actions, drives early developmental events including neuronal circuit formation and refinement. BDNF/TrkB signaling cooperates with GABA actions.

Local or Not Local: Investigating the Nature of Striatal Theta Oscillations in Behaving Rats.

In the cortex and hippocampus, neuronal oscillations of different frequencies can be observed in local field potentials (LFPs). LFPs oscillations in the theta band (6-10 Hz) have also been observed in the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) of rodents, mostly during locomotion, and have been proposed to mediate behaviorally-relevant interactions between striatum and cortex (or between striatum and hippocampus). However, it is unclear if these theta oscillations are generated in the striatum.