Acetylcholine prioritises direct synaptic inputs from entorhinal cortex to CA1 by differential modulation of feedforward inhibitory circuits

Acetylcholine release in the hippocampus plays a central role in the formation of new memory representations. An influential but largely untested theory proposes that memory formation requires acetylcholine to enhance responses in CA1 to new sensory information from entorhinal cortex whilst depressing inputs from previously encoded representations in CA3. Here, we show that excitatory inputs from entorhinal cortex and CA3 are depressed equally by synaptic release of acetylcholine in CA1. However, feedforward inhibition from entorhinal cortex exhibits greater depression than CA3 resulting in a selective enhancement of excitatory-inhibitory balance and CA1 activation by entorhinal inputs. Entorhinal and CA3 pathways engage different feedforward interneuron subpopulations and cholinergic modulation of presynaptic function is mediated differentially by muscarinic M-3 and M-4 receptors, respectively. Thus, our data support a role and mechanisms for acetylcholine to prioritise novel information inputs to CA1 during memory formation. In this study, acetylcholine release is shown to reorganise hippocampal CA1 inhibitory networks resulting in prioritisation of entorhinal input over CA3 input. This is achieved by activation of a combination of M3 and M4 muscarinic receptors.

Automated summary

Acetylcholine release in the hippocampus is crucial for the formation of new memories, with a preferential enhancement of sensory information from the entorhinal cortex. Cholinergic modulation reorganizes inhibitory networks in the hippocampal CA1 region, prioritizing inputs from the entorhinal cortex over those from the CA3 region. This is achieved through activation of a combination of M3 and M4 muscarinic receptors.