Hippocampal Microcircuits
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Hippocampal Microcircuits
Author: Vassilis Cutsuridis
language: en
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Release Date: 2010-02-01
Rich in detail, Hippocampal Microcircuits: A Computational Modeler’s Resource Book provides succinct and focused reviews of experimental results. It is an unparalleled resource of data and methodology that will be invaluable to anyone wishing to develop computational models of the microcircuits of the hippocampus. The editors have divided the material into two thematic areas. Covering the subject’s experimental background, leading neuroscientists discuss the morphological, physiological and molecular characteristics as well as the connectivity and synaptic properties of the various cell types found in the hippocampus. Here, ensemble activity, related to behavior, on the part of morphologically identified neurons in anesthetized and freely moving animals, lead to insights into the functions of hippocampal areas. In the second section, on computational analysis, computational neuroscientists present models of hippocampal microcircuits at various levels of detail, including single-cell and network levels. A full chapter is devoted to the single-neuron and network simulation environments currently used by computational neuroscientists in developing their models. In addition to the above, the chapters also identify outstanding questions and areas in need of further clarification that will guide future research by computational neuroscientists.
Hippocampal Microcircuits
This is the 2nd edition of a very well received and popular book that reflects the current state-of-the-art of the ongoing research avenues concerning the hippocampus and processing units bridging the gap between single cell activity, network activity and global brain function. It aims to provide a methodology to anyone interested in developing microcircuit level models of the hippocampus. The book is divided into two thematic areas: (I) Experimental background and (II) Computational analysis. In part I, leading experimental neuroscientists discuss the morphological, physiological and molecular characteristics as well as the connectivity and synaptic properties of the various cell types found in the hippocampus. Behaviour-related ensemble activity patterns of morphologically identified neurons in anesthetized and freely moving animals provide insights on the function of the hippocampal areas. In part II, computational neuroscientists present models of the hippocampal microcircuits at various levels of detail (e.g. single cell level, network level, etc.). Synaptomics and connectomics models of hippocampal structures are initially discussed. Then, network models of memory, rhythm generation and spatial navigation are presented, followed by abstract and biophysical models of synaptic plasticity. Network models of hippocampal implicated disorders (epilepsy and schizophrenia) are then detailed and how their network topologies, connectivities and activities change in these diseases. Finally, two chapters are dedicated to describing simulator environments of single neurons and networks currently used by computational neuroscientists in developing their models and modelling tools to parametrically constrain them. This engaging volume is invaluable to experimental and computational neuroscientists, electrical engineers, physicists, mathematicians and others interested in developing microcircuit models of the hippocampus. Graduate level students and trainees in all of these fields can find this book a significant source of information.
Structure, function, and plasticity of hippocampal dentate gyrus microcircuits
The hippocampus mediates several higher brain functions, such as learning, memory, and spatial coding. The input region of the hippocampus, the dentate gyrus, plays a critical role in these processes. Several lines of evidence suggest that the dentate gyrus acts as a preprocessor of incoming information, preparing it for subsequent processing in CA3. For example, the dentate gyrus converts input from the entorhinal cortex, where cells have multiple spatial fields, into the spatially more specific place cell activity characteristic of the CA3 region. Furthermore, the dentate gyrus is involved in pattern separation, transforming relatively similar input patterns into substantially different output patterns. Finally, the dentate gyrus produces a very sparse coding scheme in which only a very small fraction of neurons are active at any one time. How are these unique functions implemented at the level of cells and synapses? Dentate gyrus granule cells receive excitatory neuron input from the entorhinal cortex and send excitatory output to the hippocampal CA3 region via the mossy fibers. Furthermore, several types of GABAergic interneurons are present in this region, providing inhibitory control over granule cell activity via feedback and feedforward inhibition. Additionally, hilar mossy cells mediate an excitatory loop, receiving powerful input from a small number of granule cells and providing highly distributed excitatory output to a large number of granule cells. Finally, the dentate gyrus is one of the few brain regions exhibiting adult neurogenesis. Thus, new neurons are generated and functionally integrated throughout life. How these specific cellular and synaptic properties contribute to higher brain functions remains unclear. One way to understand these properties of the dentate gyrus is to try to integrate experimental data into models, following the famous Hopfield quote: “Build it, and you understand it.” However, when trying this, one faces two major challenges. First, hard quantitative data about cellular properties, structural connectivity, and functional properties of synapses are lacking. Second, the number of individual neurons and synapses to be represented in the model is huge. For example, the dentate gyrus contains ~1 million granule cells in rodents, and ~10 million in humans. Thus, full scale models will be complex and computationally demanding. In this Frontiers Research Topic, we collect important information about cells, synapses, and microcircuit elements of the dentate gyrus. We have put together a combination of original research articles, review articles, and a methods article. We hope that the collected information will be useful for both experimentalists and modelers. We also hope that the papers will be interesting beyond the small world of “dentology,” i.e., for scientists working on other brain areas. Ideally, the dentate gyrus may serve as a blueprint, helping neuroscientists to define strategies to analyze network organization of other brain regions.