Neuronal Plasticity in the Entorhinal Cortex
Call for Papers
The entorhinal cortex is a unique and fascinating structure constituting a highly parallel interface between the hippocampal formation and higher cortical areas. In addition to the “input” and “output” roles that have long been ascribed to the superficial and deep layers, functions of the entorhinal area have been studied with respect to differences in the medial and lateral divisions, the neurophysiology of synaptic inputs from other regions, prominent state-dependent theta- and gamma-frequency population activities, membrane conductances that shape cellular and network activities, the powerful roles of modulatory transmitter systems and of local inhibition, interlaminar interactions, and pivotal roles of the entorhinal area in neuropathological states, including epilepsy, schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. There has also been strong recent interest in the role of the medial entorhinal cortex in spatial processing along with different scales of spatial processing between the dorsal and ventral divisions.
Current research on neuronal plasticity within the entorhinal cortex is similarly diverse in focus and methodological approach. Systems-level hippocampal-cortical interactions are thought to be engaged in long-term declarative memory formation, and these interactions are gated and modulated by synaptic transmission within the entorhinal cortex. Furthermore, it is clear that a variety of mechanisms at molecular, cellular, and network levels result in changes in synaptic and neuronal responses in the entorhinal cortex across a wide range of timescales, and that these changes serve a variety of functions. Empirical research contributions to the special issue will be chosen to provide an overview of the theoretical and methodological approaches that are being applied to understand the function and mechanisms of neuroplasticity within the entorhinal cortex. The introduction of each article should place the work within a broad context in order to provide a substantial resource to newcomers to the field.
Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):
- Long- and short-term synaptic potentiation and depression
- Effects of oscillatory dynamics and neuromodulatory transmitters on synaptic transmission
- Plasticity of network and population activities
- Changes in neuronal and synaptic responses related to behavior
- Behavioral evidence related to the role of the entorhinal cortex in memory
- Neuropathological alterations in neuronal, synaptic, and network activities
- Computational modeling of entorhinal-cortical-neural circuit
- Hippocampal-entorhinal-neocortical interactions in memory processing
- Single-unit activities related to spatial and nonspatial information processing
Authors should follow the Neural Plasticity manuscript format described at the journal site http://www.hindawi.com/journals/np/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/, according to the following timetable:
| Manuscript Due | January 1, 2008 |
| First Round of Reviews | April 1, 2008 |
| Publication Date | July 1, 2008 |
Guest Editors
- C. Andrew Chapman, Center for studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada H4B 1R6
- Roland S. G. Jones, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Bath, Claver Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
- Min Jung, Neuroscience Laboratory, Institute for Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Ajou University, Suwon 443-727, South Korea
