title: The Corticohippocampal Circuit, Synaptic Plasticity, and Memory.
abstract: Synaptic plasticity serves as a cellular substrate for information storage in the central nervous system. The entorhinal cortex (EC) and hippocampus are interconnected brain areas supporting basic cognitive functions important for the formation and retrieval of declarative memories. Here, we discuss how information flow in the EC-hippocampal loop is organized through circuit design. We highlight recently identified corticohippocampal and intrahippocampal connections and how these long-range and local microcircuits contribute to learning. This review also describes various forms of activity-dependent mechanisms that change the strength of corticohippocampal synaptic transmission. A key point to emerge from these studies is that patterned activity and interaction of coincident inputs gives rise to associational plasticity and long-term regulation of information flow. Finally, we offer insights about how learning-related synaptic plasticity within the corticohippocampal circuit during sensory experiences may enable adaptive behaviors for encoding spatial, episodic, social, and contextual memories.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016.
authors.forename: Jayeeta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Basu
authors.affiliation: Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032 Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032 Department of Pharmacology, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032.
authors.forename: Steven A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Siegelbaum
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological; D018728:Entorhinal Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008568:Memory; D008954:Models, Biological; D009415:Nerve Net; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D009435:Synaptic Transmission