ИСТИНА

The process of neural ensembles adaptation to the new environment is one of the most fundamental mechanisms underlying information processing in the brain. In terms of systemogenesis, the new functional systems generation is determined by the new group of neurons coding for novelty. However, the mechanism underlying the generation and stabilization of these patterns remains poorly understood. Particularly, little is known about the generation of new cognitive maps in hippocampus, with characteristic place-selective firing of CA1 field neurons. Here we argue that specific behavioral patterns could serve as a cue for place field stabilization in mice during exploration of a new environment. To address this question, we developed a behavioral paradigm, in which naive mice explore novel O-maze track without additional reinforcement. We performed in vivo calcium imaging of GCaMP6s expressing mice (n=8) with NVista HD head-mounted miniscopes during the exploration of the novel context. Data analysis included extraction of neuronal spiking activity using our in-house Matlab scripts, based on PCA/ICA approach, and its synchronization with the video-tracking data, segmented into successive behavioral acts. We assessed spatial selectivity for each detected cell (n~1000), as well as place field parameters and the dynamics of their stabilization. This allowed us to perform classification, causal and correlative analysis of behavioral sequences preceding the moment of place field stabilization. We propose that such analysis will improve the understanding of basic principles of neural specialization.