Neural ensemble dynamics underlying a long-term associative memory

<p><span>The brain’s ability to associate different stimuli is vital for long-term memory, but how neural ensembles encode associative memories is unknown. Here we studied how cell ensembles in the basal and lateral amygdala encode associations between conditioned and unconditioned stimuli (CS and US, respectively). Using a miniature fluorescence microscope, we tracked the Ca</span><sup>2+</sup><span>dynamics of ensembles of amygdalar neurons during fear learning and extinction over 6 days in behaving mice.