Disambiguating the similar: The dentate gyrus and pattern separation
Abstract
The human hippocampus supports the formation of episodic memory without confusing new memories with old ones. To accomplish this, the brain must disambiguate memories (i.e., accentuate the differences between experiences). There is convergent evidence linking pattern separation to the dentate gyrus. Damage to the dentate gyrus reduces an organism's ability to differentiate between similar objects. The dentate gyrus has tenfold more principle cells than its cortical input, allowing for a divergence in information flow. Dentate gyrus granule neurons also show a very different pattern of representing the environment than "classic" place cells in CA1 and CA3, or grid cells in the entorhinal cortex. More recently immediate early genes have been used to "timestamp" activity of individual cells throughout the dentate gyrus. These data indicate that the dentate gyrus robustly differentiates similar situations. The degree of differentiation is non-linear, with even small changes in input inducing a near maximal response in the dentate. Furthermore this differentiation occurs throughout the dentate gyrus longitudinal (dorsal-ventral) axis. Conversely, the data point to a divergence in information processing between the dentate gyrus suprapyramidal and infrapyramidal blades possibly related to differences in organization within these regions. The accumulated evidence from different approaches converges to support a role for the dentate gyrus in pattern separation. There are however inco…
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The DG subregion of the hippocampus mediates episodic memory formation and disambiguation of similar but discrete events (pattern separation).
“The dentate gyrus (DG) subregion of the hippocampus mediates episodic memory formation and the disambiguation of similar but discrete events, a phenomenon known as pattern separation [3], [4], [5], [6].”
From Arf4 Determines Dentate Gyrus-Mediated Pattern Separation by Regulating Dendritic Spine Development (2012) · cites this paper as [3]
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Arf4 Determines Dentate Gyrus-Mediated Pattern Separation by Regulating Dendritic Spine Development
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- Authors
- Schmidt, B., Marrone, D. F., & Markus, E. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Connecticut (US)
- University of Arizona (US)
- Corresponding author
- Markus, Etan J.
- Venue
- Behavioural Brain Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2012-01
- Volume
- 226
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 56-65
- ISSN
- 0166-4328 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2066020682
- Cited by
- 198
- References
- 14
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 23 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 14
- FWCI
- 1.20
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Behavioural Brain Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
- Keywords
- dentate gyrus, pattern separation, hippocampus, episodic memory, memory disambiguation, granule cells, place cells, grid cells, immediate early genes, CA3, neurogenesis, spatial representation
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Humans, Neurons, Dentate Gyrus, Neurogenesis, Memory, Episodic
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