October 23, 2020
Bulletin interne de l'Institut Pasteur
Have I seen this before? Exploring the formation of distinct memories
How do we form and use distinct memories of resembling events? Scientists at the Institut Pasteur (Paris) have combined imaging and behavioral recording techniques to measure the activity of neurons in the hippocampus of mice. According to their observations, the input region of the hippocampus detects small changes between familiar and novel environments, while the output region then weights this information to guide behavioral decisions. This finding illustrates how the brain keeps the delicate balance between creating new memories and recalling existing ones.