The lateral and the medial entorhinal cortex (LEC and MEC) are the two major cortical inputs to the hippocampus. While MEC encodes self-localization information thought to be a product of path integration computations, research in the last few years has shown that LEC encodes nonspatial and spatial information related to external items. Consequently, LEC lesions affect nonspatial and spatial abilities in object-related tasks while MEC lesions affect spatial abilities.
Anatomical connections from entorhinal cortex to hippocampus show a number of gradients. MEC preferentially projects to the part of CA1 closer to CA3, whereas LEC preferentially projects to the part of CA1 closer to the subiculum. This entorhinal to CA1 gradient is mirrored by the entorhinal to subiculum gradient. LEC inputs to CA3 pyramidal neurons and to dentate gyrus granule cells are located on more distal parts of the dendrites compared to MEC inputs. Lastly, along the longitudinal axis of the hippocampus, dorsocaudal MEC and lateral LEC project to dorsal hippocampus, while ventral MEC and medial LEC project to ventral hippocampus.
How are these structural differences related to functional differences in these various regions? This research topic aims to explore the relationship between the structure and function of the entorhinal-hippocampal network. We encourage original research, reviews, and opinion about anatomical connectivity in the entorhinal cortex and the hippocampus, the interactions among these connectivity patterns with the other anatomical connectivity patterns in the hippocampal network, functional relationships between the activities in these regions, and structure-function relationships between these regions.
The lateral and the medial entorhinal cortex (LEC and MEC) are the two major cortical inputs to the hippocampus. While MEC encodes self-localization information thought to be a product of path integration computations, research in the last few years has shown that LEC encodes nonspatial and spatial information related to external items. Consequently, LEC lesions affect nonspatial and spatial abilities in object-related tasks while MEC lesions affect spatial abilities.
Anatomical connections from entorhinal cortex to hippocampus show a number of gradients. MEC preferentially projects to the part of CA1 closer to CA3, whereas LEC preferentially projects to the part of CA1 closer to the subiculum. This entorhinal to CA1 gradient is mirrored by the entorhinal to subiculum gradient. LEC inputs to CA3 pyramidal neurons and to dentate gyrus granule cells are located on more distal parts of the dendrites compared to MEC inputs. Lastly, along the longitudinal axis of the hippocampus, dorsocaudal MEC and lateral LEC project to dorsal hippocampus, while ventral MEC and medial LEC project to ventral hippocampus.
How are these structural differences related to functional differences in these various regions? This research topic aims to explore the relationship between the structure and function of the entorhinal-hippocampal network. We encourage original research, reviews, and opinion about anatomical connectivity in the entorhinal cortex and the hippocampus, the interactions among these connectivity patterns with the other anatomical connectivity patterns in the hippocampal network, functional relationships between the activities in these regions, and structure-function relationships between these regions.