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This study identifies a specific population of claustrum neurons that project to the hippocampal subicular complex and are preferentially active during slow-wave sleep. Optogenetic stimulation of these neurons during post-learning sleep enhanced spatial memory consolidation by coordinating brief gamma-rich activity followed by synchronized Down states across prefrontal, retrosplenial, and subicular brain regions. The findings demonstrate that the claustrum acts as a state-dependent coordinator that synchronizes distributed cortical and hippocampal activity during sleep to support memory formation.
Why it matters
Understanding how the claustrum coordinates brain-wide activity during sleep could inform therapeutic approaches for memory disorders and sleep disturbances. This work identifies a specific neural circuit mechanism underlying sleep-dependent memory consolidation, potentially opening avenues for targeted interventions to enhance memory or treat cognitive decline.
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⚠️ Preprint – Noch nicht peer-reviewed
Dieser Artikel wurde noch nicht von unabhängigen Experten begutachtet. Die Ergebnisse sind vorläufig und sollten mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden.
The claustrum is a broadly connected subcortical structure proposed to coordinate distributed cortical activity. Claustral neurons are recruited during synchronized brain states and contribute to sleep-dependent memory consolidation, primarily through effects on cortical dynamics. Yet the claustrum also innervates the subicular complex, a major hippocampal output node, raising the possibility that it may regulate both cortical state and hippocampo-cortical dialogue during sleep. Here, we identify a projection-defined population of claustral neurons targeting the subicular complex, CLAsc, that is preferentially recruited during slow-wave sleep and tracks cortical and subicular sleep dynamics. Optogenetic activation of CLAsc neurons during post-learning sleep enhanced spatial memory consolidation without detectable changes in ripple occurrence or slow-oscillation-spindle coupling. Instead, CLAsc activation imposed a stereotyped cortical-subicular motif: a brief gamma-rich Up state followed by a coordinated Down state across prefrontal, retrosplenial and subicular regions. Within this gamma-rich Up state, interareal coherence increased, gamma bursts became synchronized, and lagged directed interactions were transiently reorganized, including an enhanced prefrontal-to-subicular component. Together, these findings identify the claustrum as a state-dependent coordinator that transforms ongoing cortical and hippocampal-output activity into coordinated network transitions during sleep, providing a circuit mechanism through which distributed brain states may support memory consolidation.