Hippocampal-cortical coupling dynamics drive system consolidation of remote memory.

Authors

Tao Sheng, Shaoli Wang, Jiaxi Zhang, Danqing Xing, Yi Wu, Qiao Wang, Wei Lu

Published in

Cell reports. Volume 45. Issue 8. Pages 117810. Aug 07, 2026. Epub Aug 07, 2026.

Abstract

System consolidation transforms temporary hippocampal representation of memory into long-term storage in cortex. The underlying neural substrate, however, remains enigmatic. Here, we tracked the spatiotemporal evolution of hippocampus (HPC)-cortex local field potentials and single-neuron spikes in behaving animals during fear memory formation. During learning, HPC fast gamma exhibited a progressive phase shift relative to prefrontal cortex (PFC) theta oscillations, with gamma power aligning to progressively later phases of the PFC theta cycle. Strikingly, a related phase-shifted coupling pattern re-emerged during subsequent consolidation in association with hippocampal sharp-wave ripples and transient PFC spindle events during NREM sleep. Across this process, interregional interactions evolved from HPC-driven cortical gamma coherence at recent stages to PFC-mediated cortical low-frequency coherence at remote stages. Using closed-loop optogenetic perturbations, we demonstrated a stepwise causal chain of coupling events underlying remote memory formation. Our study revealed HPC-PFC coupling phase shift as a feasible substrate mediating recent-to-remote transformation of memory.

PMID:
42566310
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 08 Aug 2026.

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