Maturation of Hippocampus Efferent Circuits and Behavioral Ontogeny

Abstract

The ventral hippocampus (vHPC) and its projections are key regulators of affective behavior and mood and anxiety disorders. While approximately half of all lifetime cases of mood and anxiety disorders start by adolescence, very little is known about how vHPC efferent circuits form and regulate behavior during early life. Here we used a combination of optogenetics, electrophysiology and behavior to map the synaptic and anatomical maturation of vHIP efferent circuits and their implications for the ontogeny of behavior.