Brainstem nucleus incertus controls contextual memory formation
Abstract
What inhibits the inhibitors? In the hippocampus, each memory trace is encoded by a specific subset of pyramidal cells. The other pyramidal cells must be actively excluded from the memory encoding process by inhibition, which is done by selective dendrite-targeting interneurons. Szőnyi et al. found that γ-aminobutyric acid–releasing (GABAergic) cells located in a small region in the brain stem called the nucleus incertus project to the hippocampus. The nucleus incertus again is innervated by several regions that respond to salient stimuli. Its GABAergic cells preferentially inhibit the dendrite-targeting interneurons in the hippocampus. The nucleus incertus is thus a central mediator between brain regions that are highly responsive to salient stimuli and the hippocampal circuitry involved in memory formation. Science, this issue p. eaaw0445 A brainstem regulatory mechanism for the selection of hippocampal neuronal assemblies during contextual learning is described. INTRODUCTION Associative learning is essential for survival, and the mammalian hippocampal neurocircuitry has been shown to play a central role in the formation of specific contextual memories. Contrary to the slow, neuromodulatory role commonly associated with brainstem systems, we discovered a highly specific, spatiotemporally precise, inhibitory ascending brainstem pathway that effectively controls hippocampal fear memory formation. Pyramidal neurons of the dorsal hippocampus CA1 region pair multisensory…
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