Optogenetic stimulation of medial septal glutamatergic neurons modulates theta-gamma coupling in the hippocampus

Hippocampal cross-frequency theta-gamma coupling (TGC) is a basic mechanism for information processing, retrieval, and consolidation of long-term and working memory. While the role of entorhinal afferents in the modulation of hippocampal TGC is widely accepted, the influence of other main input to the hippocampus, from the medial septal area (MSA, the pacemaker of the hippocampal theta rhythm) is poorly understood. Optogenetics allows us to explore how different neuronal populations of septohippocampal circuits control neuronal oscillations in vivo. Rhythmic activation of septal glutamatergic neurons has been shown to drive hippocampal theta oscillations, but the role of these neuronal populations in information processing during theta activation has remained unclear. Here we investigated the influence of phasic activation of MSA glutamatergic neurons expressing channelrhodopsin II on theta-gamma coupling in the hippocampus. During the experiment, local field potentials of MSA and hippocampus of freely behaving mice were modulated by 470 nm light flashes with theta frequency (2–10) Hz. It was shown that both the power and the strength of modulation of gamma rhythm nested on hippocampal theta waves depend on the frequency of stimulation. The modulation of the amplitude of slow gamma rhythm (30–50 Hz) prevailed over modulation of fast gamma (55–100 Hz) during flash trains and the observed effects were specific for theta stimulation of MSA. We discuss the possibility that phasic depolarization of septal glutamatergic neurons controls theta-gamma coupling in the hippocampus and plays a role in memory retrieval and consolidation.