Prefrontal pyramidal neurons are critical for all phases of working memory

Pascal Vogel; Johannes Hahn; Sevil Duvarci; Torfi Sigurdsson

doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110659

Prefrontal pyramidal neurons are critical for all phases of working memory

Cell Rep. 2022 Apr 12;39(2):110659. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110659.

Authors

Pascal Vogel¹, Johannes Hahn¹, Sevil Duvarci¹, Torfi Sigurdsson²

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Neurophysiology, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.
² Institute of Neurophysiology, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany. Electronic address: sigurdsson@em.uni-frankfurt.de.

PMID: 35417688
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110659

Abstract

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is essential for working memory (WM) and has primarily been viewed as being responsible for maintaining information over a delay, but it is unclear whether it also plays a more general role during WM. Using task phase-specific optogenetic silencing of pyramidal neurons in the medial PFC (mPFC) of mice performing a spatial WM task, we find that the mPFC is required not only during the delay phase of the task but also during other phases requiring the encoding and retrieval of spatial information. Imaging of mPFC pyramidal neurons reveals that they are most strongly influenced by the animals' position and running direction, indicating a fundamental role in spatial navigation. Pyramidal neuron ensembles also represent to-be-remembered goal locations in a dynamic manner. Taken together, these results delineate the functional contribution of mPFC pyramidal neurons to WM, extending their role beyond the maintenance of information.

Keywords: CP: Neuroscience; calcium imaging; optogenetics; prefrontal cortex; spatial representation; working memory.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Memory, Short-Term* / physiology
Mice
Optogenetics
Prefrontal Cortex / physiology
Pyramidal Cells* / physiology
Spatial Memory / physiology