Chinese scientists map out hippocampal neurons in mouse brain

SHANGHAI, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- A team of Chinese scientists has mapped out how hippocampus neurons connect with other areas in the brain of a mouse. The hippocampus is a part of the brain that plays a major role in learning, memory and feelings.

The team's results revealed some previously unknown principles of organization concerning hippocampal axon projections, generating more clues to how our brain works and suggesting potential targets for brain diseases, according to the study published on Friday in the journal Science.

The hippocampus is widely connected with multiple brain areas, including the cortex, hypothalamus and olfactory areas. However, it remains unclear how its single neurons project to brain-wide target areas.

The researchers from the Institute of Neuroscience under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Huazhong University of Science and Technology created an open database containing 10,100 single-neuron neural projections located throughout the mouse hippocampus.

They classified them into 341 projection patterns and 43 subtypes.

The team also created an open online database that enables interactive visualization and analysis of the study's data.