Multiple modes of hippocampal–prefrontal interactions in memory-guided behavior

Abstract

The hippocampus and prefrontal cortex are critical for learning and memory-guided behavior, but neural mechanisms underlying their coordinated operation are currently unclear. Recent evidence indicates that different network activity patterns, each marked by local field potential signatures, play distinct roles in mediating long-range interactions between these regions to support memory processing. We propose that these network patterns underlie multiple communication modes between these regions, and support different cognitive demands during ongoing behavior. Network patterns may represent a fundamental neurophysiological mechanism through which the hippocampus communicates memory-related information with other regions. Dissecting the causal roles of these network patterns in cognitive processes has the potential to delineate a coherent and dynamic functional organization across hippocampal and prefrontal networks during memory-guided behavior.

Internally generated hippocampal sequences as a vantage point to probe future‐oriented cognition

“…The starting point of this proposal is that the hippocampus forms internal generative models jointly with other brain areas, which can be engaged (or not) depending on task demands, including the entorhinal cortex (EC), the ventral striatum (VS), and the prefrontal cortex (PFC). 62 The notion of generative models is central in leading neurophysiological theories of brain structure and function, such as predictive coding, the free energy principle, and the Bayesian brain, 66,67 and is congruent with proposals emphasizing the constructive nature of hippocampal memories and its role in imagination. 5,68 According to these converging perspectives, brains are statistical inference devices that gradually acquire generative models, which encode the statistics of the environment and of agent-environment interactions (i.e., contingencies between actions, sensations, and rewards).…”

“…59) and activity in cortical and subcortical structures temporally aligned to the SWR. [60][61][62] However, this view does not explain why SWRs are frequently observed during pauses in task performance and appear to signal trajectories leading to a goal location (prospective) rather than replaying the recently taken trajectory (retrospective). 12,63 Interrupting SWRs in the awake state, during task performance, led to a performance impairment on the outbound leg of an alternation task (which required the animals to remember the identity of the previous trial) but not the inbound leg (which required no working memory).…”

“…This idea is supported by studies interrupting SWRs during offline processing (sleep) that found impairments in the acquisition of hippocampus‐dependent spatial tasks (see also Ref. ) and activity in cortical and subcortical structures temporally aligned to the SWR . However, this view does not explain why SWRs are frequently observed during pauses in task performance and appear to signal trajectories leading to a goal location (prospective) rather than replaying the recently taken trajectory (retrospective) .…”

Immunolocalization of muscarinic M1 receptor in the rat medial prefrontal cortex

“…The prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been suggested to contribute in many cognitive functions, such as mnemonic processing, memory‐guided behavior, spatial navigation, and motivated perception (de Bruin, Moita, de Brabander, & Joosten, ; Ethier, Rompré, & Godbout, ; Keil, ; Seamans, ; Carballo‐Márquez et al, ; Shin & Jadhav, ). The entire cortical mantle including PFC is innervated by cholinergic afferents originating from the basal forebrain (BF), which consists of the nucleus basalis of Meynert, the substantia innominata, and the horizontal limb of the diagonal band (Wainer & Mesulam, ; Zaborszky et al, ).…”

Multivariate cross-frequency coupling via generalized eigendecomposition

“…A multivariate technique like gedCFC might be useful in providing insights into how different hippocampal-prefrontal networks are involved in different aspects of memory (Shin and Jadhav, 2016). Incorporating the waveform shape into the filter might also prove insightful considering that rat hippocampal theta is non-sinusoidal (Belluscio et al, 2012).…”