Discharge properties of hippocampal neurons during performance of a jump avoidance task.

Full Abstract

We recorded single hippocampal cells while rats performed a jump avoidance task. In this task, a rat was dropped onto the metal floor of a 33 cm gray wooden cube and was given a mild electric shock if it did not jump up onto the box rim in <15 s. We found that many hippocampal pyramidal cells and most interneurons discharged preferentially at the drop, the jump, or on both events. By simultaneously recording the hippocampal EEG, we found that the discharge of most of the event-related pyramidal cells was modulated by the theta rhythm and moreover that discharge precessed with theta cycles in the same manner seen for pyramidal cells in their role as place cells. The elevations of firing rate at drop and jump were accompanied by increases in theta frequency. We conclude that many of the features of event-related discharge can be interpreted as being equivalent to the activity of place cells with firing fields above the box floor. Nevertheless, there are sufficient differences between expectations from place cells and observed activity to indicate that pyramidal cells may be able to signal events as well as location.

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Author information

Author/s: Lenck-Santini, Pierre-Pascal (PP); Fenton, André A (AA); Muller, Robert U (RU);

Affiliation: Dartmouth Medical School, Lebanon, New Hampshire 03755, USA.

Grants: NS20686 (Agency:United States NINDS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Journal: The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience (J Neurosci), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Jul; vol 28 (issue 27) : pp 6773-86

Dates: Created 2008/07/03; Completed 2008/08/12;

PMID: 18596153, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Acetylcholine - metabolism
Action Potentials - physiology
Animals
Avoidance Learning - physiology
Electroencephalography
Electroshock
Evoked Potentials - physiology
Hippocampus - anatomy & histology; physiology
Male
Memory - physiology
Motor Skills - physiology
Nerve Net - physiology

Nerve Net - physiology
Neural Pathways - physiology
Orientation - physiology
Pyramidal Cells - physiology
Rats
Rats, Long-Evans
Reaction Time - physiology
Space Perception - physiology
Synapses - physiology
Synaptic Transmission - physiology
Theta Rhythm
Time Factors

Associated Chemicals: Acetylcholine (51-84-3)

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