Analysis of place field generation in the retrosplenial cortex

Place cells in the hippocampus are position-tuned cells that underlie spatial memory and navigation. How place cells generate spatial tuning remains unclear.

Recent work points towards a critical role of excitable dendrites and a new form of plasticity called "behaviour time scale plasticity". The underlying mechanisms, and whether this plasticity rule is hippocampus-specific, remains unknown.

This is in part due to technical limitations, as hippocampal neurons are difficult to access with optical methods.I propose to study place cell generation in the retrosplenial cortex, a major target area of the hippocampus. Recent work showed that retrosplenial neurons generate place fields reminiscent of hippocampal place cells.

Their tuning properties are similar, and remap when the animal experiences new environments.

However, these cells are located only 150µm deep and have dendrites extending to the brain´s surface, favouring investigation with optical methods. I will train mice to explore a virtual reality environment.

I will use state-of-the-art voltage indicators and two-photon microscopy to image somatic and dendritic voltage changes during place field induction, and in vivo patch-clamp recordings to measure neuronal activity as mice form new spatial memories.

These experiments will reveal novel insights into the plasticity mechanisms of place field formation, provide new methods for place field analysis, and expand our understanding of how we form new memories.