Theoretical Analysis of Hippocampal Memory Formation

The hippocampus is engaged in remembering information that can be described in a declarative manner, and work on the function of the hippocampus has led to the development of current concepts about the organization of memory systems in the brain. Because the hippocampus stores information only temporarily, memory consolidation is required to transfer memories from the hippocampus to the neocortex, which has a larger capacity and a longer memory lifetime. However, basic cellular mechanisms underlying the storage and transfer of memories are unknown. Previous own work on the hippocampus focussed on encoding (Thurley et al. 2008, Schmidt et al. 2009), plasticity (Gundlfinger et al. 2007, Leibold et al. 2008), and memory capacity (Leibold and Kempter 2006, 2008). To further understand basic modes of operation of the hippocampus and its interaction with neocortex, we will study models of memory storage and memory consolidation. In close cooperation with experimental groups, we will model and analyze cellular mechanisms underlying memory transfer across subregions of the brain.