Moving toward a cellular-based understanding of theta generation in the hippocampus

Oscillatory activities are a ubiquitous feature of brain recordings and 
likely form part of the neural code.  In particular, theta rhythms 
(3-12Hz) in the hippocampus play fundamental roles in memory processing. 
  Can we understand how theta rhythms are generated from cellular 
perspectives?  It is challenging to address this question largely 
because of the multi-scale nature of our brains.  However, we need to 
tackle this challenge as it is clear that cellular specifics can dictate 
oscillatory network output and thus contribute to brain function and 
neurological disease.  In this talk I will describe our work that 
focuses on intrinsic theta rhythms in the hippocampus due to use of a 
whole hippocampus preparation.  This allows a tight linking between the 
models and experiment that can include well-defined cellular 
considerations and so help lead to explanations and understanding of 
theta rhythm generation from cellular perspectives.