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.

Entorhinal Cortical Ocean Cells Encode Specific Contexts and Drive Context-Specific Fear Memory

<p><span>Forming distinct representations and memories of multiple contexts and episodes is thought to be a crucial function of the hippocampal-entorhinal cortical network. The hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) and CA3 are known to contribute to these functions, but the role of the entorhinal cortex (EC) is poorly understood.

Distinct speed dependence of entorhinal island and ocean cells, including respective grid cells

<p><span>Entorhinal–hippocampal circuits in the mammalian brain are crucial for an animal’s spatial and episodic experience, but the neural basis for different spatial computations remain unknown. Medial entorhinal cortex layer II contains pyramidal island and stellate ocean cells. Here, we performed cell type-specific Ca</span><sup>2+</sup><span> imaging in freely exploring mice using cellular markers and a miniature head-mounted fluorescence microscope.