Edi Barkai

Abstract Training rodents in a particularly difficult olfactory-discrimination task results with acquisition of high-skill to perform the task superbly, termed ‘rule-learning’. We show that rule-learning occurs abruptly, in a “light-bulb moment”. Using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from the piriform cortex (PC) of Fos2A-iCreER/TRAP2 mice, we target activated-neurons, expressing immediate early genes (IEG).

Abstract If a fear engram is too crucial to be ignored, its strength must be amplified to allow it to dominate behavior. Here we report a learning-induced amplification mechanism that promotes an engram to dominance. The amplification mechanism is mediated by CaMKII-dependent increase of the conductance of all AMPA and GABAA channels in each of the neurons that compose the engram in male mice.

Research Articles, Systems/Circuits Xiaoyu Ma, Yiyao Zhang, Lina Wang, Na Li, Edi Barkai, Xiaohui Zhang, Longnian Lin and Jiamin Xu Journal of Neuroscience 29 April 2020, 40 (18) 3591-3603; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1568-19.2020 Abstract The septo-hippocampal cholinergic system is critical for hippocampal learning and memory. However, a quantitative description of the in vivo firing patterns and physiological function of medial septal (MS) cholinergic neurons is still missing.