@article{22229,
  abstract     = {Hippocampal CA3 pyramidal neurons (PNs) form the largest autoassociative network in the mammalian brain. Whether CA3–CA3 recurrent connectivity is genetically preconfigured or environmentally shaped during ongoing memory storage is currently unknown. To address this question, we performed multicellular patch-clamp-based circuit mapping of up to eight CA3 PNs in the mouse hippocampus at multiple postnatal time points (P7–8, P18–25, and P45–50). Here, we show that the hippocampal CA3 network undergoes a developmental transformation from local, dense, and random connectivity to a distributed, sparse, and structured configuration. Thus, sparse and structured connectivity may emerge via experience-dependent mechanisms. In parallel, the strength of single synapses is downregulated; single synaptic events are sufficient to trigger postsynaptic spiking early in development, whereas spatial summation of several inputs is required at later time points. Biologically inspired models of memory storage by Hebbian synaptic plasticity and retrieval via pattern completion suggest that developmental changes improve specific aspects of memory storage and retrieval. Our results imply a developmental transformation of the neuronal code and the memory functions in the hippocampal CA3 network.</jats:p>},
  author       = {Vargas Barroso, Victor M and Watson, Jake and Navas Olivé, Andrea C and Schlögl, Alois and Jonas, Peter M},
  issn         = {2041-1723},
  journal      = {Nature Communications},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{Developmental emergence of sparse and structured synaptic connectivity in the hippocampal CA3 memory circuit}},
  doi          = {10.1038/s41467-026-71914-x},
  volume       = {17},
  year         = {2026},
}

@misc{21442,
  author       = {Schlögl, Alois},
  keywords     = {hypocampus, ca3 simulations, modelling},
  publisher    = {Institute of Science and Technology Austria},
  title        = {{CA3Simu v1.06 (vargas2026v1)}},
  doi          = {10.15479/AT-ISTA-21442},
  year         = {2026},
}

@phdthesis{22735,
  author       = {Lin, Peipeng},
  isbn         = {978-3-99078-088-6},
  issn         = {2663-337X},
  pages        = {88},
  publisher    = {Institute of Science and Technology Austria},
  title        = {{Calibrating the teacher synapse: Mechanisms and functional significance of presynaptic inhibition at hippocampal mossy fiber synapses}},
  doi          = {10.15479/AT-ISTA-22735},
  year         = {2026},
}

@article{18879,
  abstract     = {Our brain has remarkable computational power, generating sophisticated behaviors, storing memories over an individual’s lifetime, and producing higher cognitive functions. However, little of our neuroscience knowledge covers the human brain. Is this organ truly unique, or is it a scaled version of the extensively studied rodent brain? Combining multicellular patch-clamp recording with expansion-based superresolution microscopy and full-scale modeling, we determined the cellular and microcircuit properties of the human hippocampal CA3 region, a fundamental circuit for memory storage. In contrast to neocortical networks, human hippocampal CA3 displayed sparse connectivity, providing a circuit architecture that maximizes associational power. Human synapses showed unique reliability, high precision, and long integration times, exhibiting both species- and circuit-specific properties. Together with expanded neuronal numbers, these circuit characteristics greatly enhanced the memory storage capacity of CA3. Our results reveal distinct microcircuit properties of the human hippocampus and begin to unravel the inner workings of our most complex organ. },
  author       = {Watson, Jake and Vargas Barroso, Victor M and Morse, Rebecca and Navas Olivé, Andrea C and Tavakoli, Mojtaba and Danzl, Johann G and Tomschik, Matthias and Rössler, Karl and Jonas, Peter M},
  issn         = {1097-4172},
  journal      = {Cell},
  number       = {2},
  pages        = {501--514.e18},
  publisher    = {Elsevier},
  title        = {{Human hippocampal CA3 uses specific functional connectivity rules for efficient associative memory}},
  doi          = {10.1016/j.cell.2024.11.022},
  volume       = {188},
  year         = {2025},
}