Place cells in brain reveal how memories are kept separate

Precise firing of a specific set of cells in the brain’s hippocampus may be key in preventing memory mix-ups. In an experiment in rats, scientists show that neurons called place cells located in the CA3 area of the hippocampus fire in distinct patterns even when rats are put in nearly a dozen different rooms with nearly identical geometric features. The results, published December 8 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show how the brain’s hippocampus can have such a high capacity for storing memories without confusing similar experiences.

Two of the study’s authors, Edvard Moser and May-Britt Moser, earned the 2014 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for the discovery of place cells.