Breathing coordinates limbic network dynamics underlying memory consolidation

Abstract

The coordinated activity between remote brain regions underlies cognition and memory function. Although neuronal oscillations have been proposed as a mechanistic substrate for the coordination of information transfer and memory consolidation during sleep, little is known about the mechanisms that support the widespread synchronization of brain regions and the relationship of neuronal dynamics with other bodily rhythms, such as breathing. Here we address this question using large-scale recordings from a number of structures, including the medial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, thalamus, amygdala and nucleus accumbens in mice. We identify a dual mechanism of respiratory entrainment, in the form of an intracerebral corollary discharge that acts jointly with an olfactory reafference to coordinate limbic network dynamics, such as hippocampal ripples and cortical UP and DOWN states, involved in memory consolidation. These results highlight breathing, a perennial rhythmic input to the brain, as an oscillatory scaffold for the functional coordination of the limbic circuit, enabling the segregation and integration of information flow across neuronal networks.