Neuronal Activity Patterns During Hippocampal Network Oscillations In Vitro

TLDR: This chapter is to summarize recent findings from different laboratories' works in in vitro preparations highlighting the importance of different neuronal activity patterns of hippocampal principal cells and different subtypes of interneurons during network oscillations.

Abstract: Neurons form transient, functionally specialized assemblies by coordinating their activity within networks. Assembly activity is important for coding and information processing in the brain; oscillations are assumed to entrain and provide temporal structure to this. Recent work from different laboratories has uncovered cell type-specific activity patterns during network oscillations, indicating that the cells may differentially contribute to the generation of oscillation and thereby the coordination of cell assemblies. The purpose of this chapter is to summarize recent findings from these works in in vitro preparations highlighting the importance of different neuronal activity patterns of hippocampal principal cells and different subtypes of interneurons. Special attention will be paid to the role of the firing properties of hippocampal interneurons on the network oscillatory activity at the theta and gamma frequency range. Models based on these ideas are found in “Gamma and Theta Rhythms in Biophysical Models of Hippocampal Circuits” by Kopell et al., this book.