To make optimal use of previous experiences, important neural activity sequences must be prioritized during hippocampal replay. Integrating insights about the interplay between CA3 and CA2, we propose a conceptual framework that allows the two regions to control which sequences are reactivated. We suggest that neuromodulatory-gated plasticity and mutual inhibition enable discrete assembly sequences in both regions to support each other while suppressing competing sequences. This perspective provides a coherent interpretation for a variety of seemingly disconnected functional properties of CA2 and paves the way for a more general understanding of CA2.
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