Site-Specific Hippocampal Modulation In Disease And Health: Temporal Lobe Epilepsy And Cerebello-Hippocampal Influence

Abstract

Like other areas of the brain, the hippocampus is finely tuned to receive information, transform it, and output the result. Unlike other areas of the brain, the hippocampus is a critical player for many cognitive processes, including spatial memory. When aberrant modulation of the hippocampus occurs, it can be manifested neurally, in the activity of the hippocampus itself, as well as behaviorally, through impaired hippocampal-dependent behaviors. My research examines two distinct forms of hippocampal modulation. The first: chronic temporal lobe epilepsy induced via a targeted, focal intrahippocampal insult in either the dorsal or ventral hippocampus. The second: indirect modulation of the hippocampus from stimulation of the medial or lateral cerebellar cortex. Both forms of modulation create broad yet specific changes to hippocampal activity and hippocampal dependent behavior. Interestingly, site-specificity with regard to both hippocampal and cerebellar targeting reveal overlapping yet distinct effects in their respective forms of hippocampal modulation. Together, my research advances the epilepsy field's ability to model particular temporal lobe epilepsy phenotypes, as well as our understanding of how cerebellar modulation affects hippocampal function.