Douglas: A formidable first for researchers at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute: the prestigious journal Neuron
has published the latest work by the team of Dr. Sylvain Williams on
the neuronal activity of the hippocampus, a brain region that is crucial
for memory. Dr. Williams’ team conducted a study to understand which types of
neurons are responsible for coordinating hippocampal theta waves, which
are responsible for creating new memories and which become abnormal in
Alzheimer’s patients.
The team focused their study on a neural ensemble called "basket
neurons" that can inhibit, and therefore synchronize, thousands of
hippocampal neurons simultaneously. To manipulate the activity of these
basket neurons, they used optogenetics, a very recent technique that
controls neurons with light. In addition to helping us better understand
the mechanisms of memory, the manipulation of neural networks with
optogenetics opens new doors for the treatment of memory impairments.
Full paper
www.cell.com/neuron/abstract/S0896-6273%2815%2900434-1