Topic: place cell-like activity

Neurons are sophisticated input-output devices: their response is driven by the complex interplay between the currents directly evoked by the synaptic stimulus and intrinsic currents controlled by the internal state (e.g. voltage or Ca2+) of the cell. Moreover, the spatially extended dendritic tree of the neurons makes the state variables local. Recruiting local intrinsic currents can fundamentally change the form of input-integration. However, network models ignore the state dependence of neuronal input integration partly because of the lack of information on how intrinsic currents contribute

In this study, we investigate how contextual memory is shaped by observational fear learning during encoding and recall. We are imaging neurons in layer 2/3 of the retrosplenial cortex in GCaMP6s mice with two-photon Ca2+ imaging using a head-fixed observational fear learning paradigm in virtual reality. The animals are surrounded by three screens and run on a running wheel as they travel through 3 different VR environments. In two of the environments, we play recordings of mouse vocalisations emitted while they were receiving foot shocks, and a neutral sound in the third environment. A single