Neurons devoted to social memory identified
Thursday, October 6, 2016 - 08:41
in Biology & Nature
Mice have brain cells that are dedicated to storing memories of other mice, according to a new study. These cells, found in a region of the hippocampus known as the ventral CA1, store "social memories" that help shape the mice's behavior toward each other. The researchers also showed that they can suppress or stimulate these memories by using a technique known as optogenetics to manipulate the cells that carry these memory traces, or engrams.