# Prefrontal cortical circuit reorganization during immediate memory consolidation

> **NIH NIH F32** · CORNELL UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $74,284

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Learning and memory are fundamental cognitive functions that allow us to learn from the environment around
us. Memory is the ability to store and recall information essential to everyday life. An indispensable property of
memory is its stable storage, allowing for the recall of memories over extended periods of time. Yet the
physiological mechanisms underlying the stable storage of memories for such a long-lasting time remain to be
elucidated. Memory formation involves two stages, encoding, and consolidation. After encoding, the
consolidation process solidifies these neuronal traces into long-lasting memories. Consolidation is a
progressive process, starting with immediate consolidation that, over time, becomes long-term consolidation.
The hippocampus (HPC) is a brain region fundamental to memory formation and immediate consolidation. As
consolidation continues, the HPC offloads memories to the cortex, eventually becoming independent of the
HPC. The HPC consolidation of memories involves a highly synchronous network event called a sharp-wave
ripple (SWR). During SWRs, memory traces that represent a particular experience are replayed in a
compressed manner, which is thought to consolidate these neuronal representations through synaptic
plasticity. Yet, it is unknown how information from the HPC is transferred to the cortex during SWRs during
immediate consolidation. A cortical region also involved in memory is the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Both the
HPC and PFC are involved in spatial memory, making it an ideal behavior to investigate the transfer of HPC
information to the PFC during immediate consolidation. The respective contribution of SWRs and local cortical
circuit dynamics for immediate memory consolidation remains unknown. Furthermore, the circuit and cellular
changes during immediate consolidation are not fully understood. This proposal targets these exact questions
by 1) directly testing whether SWRs transfer information to the PFC necessary for immediate consolidation; 2)
identifying the PFC neuronal assembly modifications during SWRs underlying immediate consolidation; and 3)
elucidating the local PFC circuitry mechanisms that regulate these neuronal assembly changes during
immediate consolidation. The aims of this proposal will directly test whether communication between HPC and
PFC that occurs during SWRs is crucial for immediate memory consolidation and how local processes in the
PFC evolve during memory consolidation. This work aligns with NIMH’s mission to understand the
mechanisms of learning and memory at a system level by investigating the interactions between brain regions
that might underlie these functions.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10932193
- **Project number:** 5F32MH134673-02
- **Recipient organization:** CORNELL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Heath Larsson Robinson
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $74,284
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-30 → 2027-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10932193

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10932193, Prefrontal cortical circuit reorganization during immediate memory consolidation (5F32MH134673-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10932193. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*