# Inhibitory Network Dynamics Supporting Hippocampal Spatial Representations

> **NIH NIH F30** · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2021 · $46,041

## Abstract

Project Abstract
The hippocampus is a mammalian brain structure critical for various cognitive functions, including
spatial navigation and episodic memory. Hippocampal area CA1, the output node of the
hippocampus, is composed of a relatively homogenous population of excitatory pyramidal cells
and a smaller, yet diverse, population of GABAergic interneurons (INs). Remarkably, individual
pyramidal cells in CA1 (CA1PCs) can integrate thousands of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic
inputs to respond specifically to various features of the external environment (“feature selectivity”).
One prominent example of feature selectivity is the location-specific increases in firing rate that
pyramidal cells exhibit (“place cells”) as an animal traverses its environment. Although place cells
might provide the link between the cognitive functions of the hippocampus and the activity
patterns of individual cells, the circuit-level mechanisms responsible for their formation and
stability remain unknown. In particular, it remains unknown whether INs influence place cell
dynamics, as there is a lack of information about the in vivo activity patterns of molecularly-defined
INs and synaptic connectivity between INs and pyramidal cells remains difficult to establish in
vivo. The goal of this proposal is to characterize the in vivo dynamics of the major IN subtypes at
the population level and their relationship to the spatially tuned activity of postsynaptic CA1PCs
during spatial navigation and learning. In Aim 1, I will perform AOD-based two-photon functional
calcium imaging and retrospective molecular characterization of the imaged cells with post-hoc
immunohistochemistry to characterize the collective dynamics of the major CA1 IN subtypes
during behavior. In Aim 2, I will combine these techniques with single-cell-initiated monosynaptic,
retrograde viral tracing to determine the relationship between the functional dynamics of
presynaptic INs and the formation and stability of spatially tuned activity in postsynaptic CA1PCs
during spatial navigation and learning. These experiments will lead to a better understanding of
the local inhibitory dynamics that support hippocampal spatial representations to guide behavior.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10154094
- **Project number:** 1F30MH125628-01
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Bert Vancura
- **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $46,041
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-01-01 → 2024-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10154094

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10154094, Inhibitory Network Dynamics Supporting Hippocampal Spatial Representations (1F30MH125628-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10154094. Licensed CC0.

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