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Science 305 (5688): 1295-1298

Copyright © 2004 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Distinct Ensemble Codes in Hippocampal Areas CA3 and CA1

Stefan Leutgeb,1 Jill K. Leutgeb,1 Alessandro Treves,1,2 May-Britt Moser,1 Edvard I. Moser1*

Abstract: The hippocampus has differentiated into an extensively connected recurrent stage (CA3) followed by a feed-forward stage (CA1). We examined the function of this structural differentiation by determining how cell ensembles in rat CA3 and CA1 generate representations of rooms with common spatial elements. In CA3, distinct subsets of pyramidal cells were activated in each room, regardless of the similarity of the testing enclosure. In CA1, the activated populations overlapped, and the overlap increased in similar enclosures. After exposure to a novel room, ensemble activity developed slower in CA3 than CA1, suggesting that the representations emerged independently.

1 Centre for the Biology of Memory, Medical-Technical Research Centre, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7489 Trondheim, Norway.
2 Cognitive Neuroscience Sector, International School for Advanced Studies, Trieste, Italy.

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Note added in proof: Additional evidence for CA1-CA3 differences is provided by a recent study measuring immediate early gene activation in two different novel rooms (36).

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: edvard.moser{at}cbm.ntnu.no

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