Direct Entorhinal Control of CA1 Temporal Coding

Abstract Local computations of CA1 neurons are shaped by two direct input streams, from CA3 and EC LIII. By specifically silencing the direct input from the entorhinal cortex, we found that single-cell temporal coding (phase precession) strictly depends on direct EC-CA1 communication, while spatial coding and network oscillations are largely unaffected by the manipulation. Conversely, transient inhibition of the EC-CA1 direct pathway actually improved the temporal coordination of CA1 ensembles (theta sequences), reducing coding heterogeneity.