Learning-enhanced coupling between ripple oscillations in association cortices and hippocampus

Abstract

Memory transfer for long-term storage Explicit memory formation involves the transfer of rapidly encoded information from the hippocampus to long-term storage sites in the association cortex. Khodagholy et al. developed a microelectrode system for large-scale simultaneous electrophysiological monitoring of multiple sites in the rat neocortex. They observed discrete high-frequency neocortical oscillations called ripples only in the association cortex. These cortical ripples shared many properties with hippocampal ripples. Hippocampal ripples were coupled with cortical ripples in the posterior parietal cortex, an association cortical area linked to navigational planning. This coupling was increased during sleep after the induction of long-term hippocampal-dependent spatial memory. Science , this issue p. 369