Gamma and Theta Oscillations, Hippocampus: Overview

The brain expresses several rhythms that are associated with normal and pathological states (see “Brain Rhythms”). The hippocampus is arguably the most heavily studied structure in the brain for many reasons including its importance in learning and memory (see “Hippocampal Formation,” “Hippocampus: Organization, Maturation, and Operation in Cognition and Pathological Conditions,” and “Evolution of the Hippocampus”), and it generates several population activities that include theta and gamma rhythms. Many modeling studies have focused on these oscillatory activities, and the entries in this section detail much of this work.

To develop and build models of any biological system, an in-depth appreciation of the biological and physiological basis of what is being modeled is required. This is provided in the “Hippocampus, Theta, Gamma and Cross Frequency Coupling” entry, where functional and experimental aspects are described. In developing models, the cellular units and how they are...