Neuron
Volume 87, Issue 6, 23 September 2015, Pages 1317-1331
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Article
Entorhinal Cortical Ocean Cells Encode Specific Contexts and Drive Context-Specific Fear Memory

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2015.08.036Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Ocean cells rapidly form a distinct representation of a novel context

  • Ocean cells drive context-specific CA3 activation and context-specific fear memory

  • Ocean cells are dispensable for temporal association learning

  • Island cells are indifferent to context-specific encoding or memory

Summary

Forming distinct representations and memories of multiple contexts and episodes is thought to be a crucial function of the hippocampal-entorhinal cortical network. The hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) and CA3 are known to contribute to these functions, but the role of the entorhinal cortex (EC) is poorly understood. Here, we show that Ocean cells, excitatory stellate neurons in the medial EC layer II projecting into DG and CA3, rapidly form a distinct representation of a novel context and drive context-specific activation of downstream CA3 cells as well as context-specific fear memory. In contrast, Island cells, excitatory pyramidal neurons in the medial EC layer II projecting into CA1, are indifferent to context-specific encoding or memory. On the other hand, Ocean cells are dispensable for temporal association learning, for which Island cells are crucial. Together, the two excitatory medial EC layer II inputs to the hippocampus have complementary roles in episodic memory.

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