2016/07/22 by Asim J. Rashid, Yan Chen, Valentina Mercaldo +10 · 3 citations
Neuroscience · #Memory and Neural Mechanisms #Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research #Neural dynamics and brain function
paper · doi:10.1126/science.aaf0594
openalex publication_date 2016/07/22 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Collections of cells called engrams are thought to represent memories. Although there has been progress in identifying and manipulating single engrams, little is known about how multiple engrams interact to influence memory. In lateral amygdala (LA), neurons with increased excitability during training outcompete their neighbors for allocation to an engram. We examined whether competition based on neuronal excitability also governs the interaction between engrams. Mice received two distinct fear conditioning events separated by different intervals. LA neuron excitability was optogenetically manipulated and revealed a transient competitive process that integrates memories for events occurring closely in time (coallocating overlapping populations of neurons to both engrams) and separates memories for events occurring at distal times (disallocating nonoverlapping populations to each engram).