Observational Activation of Anterior Cingulate Cortical Neurons Coordinates Hippocampal Replay in Social Learning

Authors

Xiang Mou
Daoyun Ji

Publication Date

9-30-2025

Journal

eLife

DOI

10.7554/eLife.97884

PMID

41026141

PMCID

PMC12483505

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

9-30-2025

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Abstract

Social learning enables a subject to make decisions by observing the actions of another. How neural circuits acquire relevant information during observation to guide subsequent behavior is unknown. Utilizing an observational spatial working memory task, we show that neurons in the rat anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) associated with spatial trajectories during self-running in a maze are reactivated when observing another rat running the same maze. The observation-induced ACC activities are reduced in error trials and are correlated with activities of hippocampal place cells representing the same trajectories. The ACC activities during observation also predict subsequent hippocampal place cell activities during sharp-wave ripples and spatial contents of hippocampal replay prior to self-running. The results support that ACC neurons involved in decisions during self-running are reactivated during observation and interact with hippocampal replay to guide subsequent spatial navigation.

Keywords

Animals, Gyrus Cinguli, Hippocampus, Rats, Neurons, Social Learning, Male, Maze Learning, Rats, Long-Evans, Memory, Short-Term

Published Open-Access

yes

Recommended Citation

Xiang Mou and Daoyun Ji, "Observational Activation of Anterior Cingulate Cortical Neurons Coordinates Hippocampal Replay in Social Learning" (2025). Faculty and Staff Publications. 4919.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/baylor_docs/4919