Researchers Find Neural Signature for Mistake Correction

In findings from an eight-year study recently published in Cell, scientists at the RIKEN-MIT Center for Neural Circuit Genetics discovered the neural circuit associated with correcting one’s mistakes, an elusive brain signal underlying memory transfer. During the study, scientists purposely prevented mice from making correct decisions by blocking gamma oscillations. In order to do so, researchers created a transgenic mouse with a light-activated protein called archaerhodopsin (ArchT) in the hippocampus, which had the ability to shut off gamma activity. As a result, the mice could no longer accurately chose the right direction. The findings of the study highlight the importance of gamma oscillations in cognition and their involvement in other behaviors requiring retrieval and evaluation of working memory. To read more about this study, click here.