Cited by 385Memory and Neural MechanismsNeural dynamics and brain functionMemory Processes and Influences

Rewarded Outcomes Enhance Reactivation of Experience in the Hippocampus

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Singer, Annabelle C., Frank, Loren M.·2009·Neuron

Abstract

Remembering experiences that lead to reward is essential for survival. The hippocampus is required for forming and storing memories of events and places, but the mechanisms that associate specific experiences with rewarding outcomes are not understood. Event memory storage is thought to depend on the reactivation of previous experiences during hippocampal sharp wave ripples (SWRs). We used a sequence switching task that allowed us to examine the interaction between SWRs and reward. We compared SWR activity after animals traversed spatial trajectories and either received or did not receive a reward. Here, we show that rat hippocampal CA3 principal cells are significantly more active during SWRs following receipt of reward. This SWR activity was further enhanced during learning and reactivated coherent elements of the paths associated with the reward location. This enhanced reactivation in response to reward could be a mechanism to bind rewarding outcomes to the experiences that precede them.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.neuron.2009.11.016

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  • Decoded spatial locations during sharp-wave ripple-related reactivations clustered around the reward zone, indicating preferential reactivation of this behaviorally salient area.

    “Decoded spatial locations during sharp-wave ripple–related reactivations clustered around the reward zone (Supplementary Fig. 3; see also refs. 47,48), indicating preferential reactivation of this behaviorally salient area.”

    From Place and behavioral modulation of hippocampal neurons during immobility (2026) · cites this paper as [48]

    The Results section reports no preferential reactivation of cells with place fields closest to the reward well: it says, “We found no such bias.” It also reports that the spatial distributions of all recorded cells and cells active during rewarded sharp-wave ripples were very similar. The paper finds enhanced reactivation of paths associated with reward, not a clustering of reactivated locations around the reward zone. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • Reward receipt increases spike-wave ripples, which enhance place field stability and may promote learning of reward locations.

    “Importantly, receipt of a reward triggers an increase in the rate of spike-wave ripples [63], which are known to enhance place field stability, and may thereby promote learning of reward locations [64].”

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Authors
Singer, A. C., & Frank, L. M.
Affiliations
University of California, San Francisco (US)
Corresponding author
Singer, Annabelle C.
Venue
Neuron
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2009-12
Volume
64
Issue
6
Pages
910-921
ISSN
0896-6273 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2043106712
Cited by
385
References
56
Citations by year
2026: 25 · 2025: 39 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 38 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 31 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 37 · 2017: 27 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 12
FWCI
5.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Neuron (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH080283, MH080283)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
Keywords
hippocampus, sharp-wave ripples, memory reactivation, reward, event memory, spatial memory, reward location, memory binding
MeSH terms
Action Potentials, Animals, Behavior, Animal, Hippocampus, Learning, Male, Memory, Motivation, Neurons, Neuropsychological Tests, Reward, Space Perception, Rats, Long-Evans, Rats, CA3 Region, Hippocampal

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