Newly discovered brain cell sheds light on the formation of memories

Researchers have long known that memory is represented by changes in the part of the brain called the hippocampus.

One of the well-established changes in the hippocampus that has been associated with memory is the presence of so-called sharp wave ripples (SWR). These are brief, high-frequency electrical events generated in the hippocampus, and they are believed to represent a major event occurring in the brain in the so-called episodic memory. This type of memory refers to episodes that took place in the life of an individual, such as childhood memories, recollection of the first date with a partner or memory of an old cell phone number.

However, what happens in the famous seahorse-shaped structures of the brain – the hippocampus – when SRWs are generated has not been well understood.

Now a new study sheds light on the existence of a neuron type in the mouse hippocampus that might be a key to better understanding of episodic memory.

Professor Marco Capogna and Assistant professor Wen-Hsien Hou from the Department of Biomedicine at Aarhus University have contributed to the discovery of the novel neuron that is associated with sharp wave ripples and memory. The study was recently published in the scientific journal Neuron in collaboration with Professor Ivan Soltesz’ group at Stanford University.

Might be disrupted in dementia and Alzheimer’s

The study reports the novel neuron type – or nerve cell – in the hippocampus, defines its functional role in the brain, discloses its connectivity with other nerve cells and brain areas and progresses the understanding of brain circuits underlying fast brain waves that are often associated with memory.

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