The impacts of circadian disruption on hippocampal place cell activity
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Date
2024
Authors
Robertson, David R.
University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science
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Publisher
Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Neuroscience
Abstract
Circadian rhythms are daily physiological cycles with wide-reaching influence on biological, mental and behavioural functions. We are at our best when our circadian rhythms function in a stable and consistent manner synchronous with stable and consistent patterns of day and night. Disruptions to circadian rhythms cause all manner of negative effects. One effect that is of particular interest to this study is that spatial memories formed while circadian rhythms are in disarray are not retained as well as those formed in stable conditions. The sorts of memories affected this way have a common factor. They all rely heavily on the hippocampal memory system. Methods have already been devised to read and decipher the neural code of hippocampal place cell firing patterns. However, until now, no attempt has been made to view how circadian disruption influences these hippocampal neural patterns. This experiment bridges that gap.
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Keywords
Circadian , Hippocampal , Spatial memories , Neural patterns