Multiple modes of hippocampal-prefrontal interactions in memory-guided behavior

•Hippocampal-prefrontal interactions are mediated by distinct network activity patterns.•Theta oscillations, sharp-wave ripples, and gamma oscillations represent multiple modes of communication.•These patterns may be crucial for coordination of activity during memory-guided decision making.•A causal approach is needed to dissect the role of long-range interaction modes in memory and cognition.

The hippocampus and prefrontal cortex are crucial for learning and memory-guided behavior, but neural mechanisms underlying their coordinated operation are currently unclear. Recent evidence indicates that different network activity patterns, each marked by local field potential signatures, play distinct roles in mediating long-range interactions between these regions to support memory processing. We propose that network patterns underlie multiple communication modes between these regions, and support different cognitive demands during ongoing behavior. Network patterns may represent a fundamental neurophysiological mechanism through which the hippocampus communicates memory-related information with other regions. Dissecting the causal roles of these network patterns in cognitive processes has the potential to delineate a coherent and dynamic functional organization across hippocampal and prefrontal networks during memory-guided behavior.

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