Phase Coupling Between Hippocampal CA1 and Prefrontal Cortex in a Depression-Model Rats Indicating Impaired Synaptic Plasticity

Chronic stress induces profound learning and memory deficits with a potential mechanism, impaired synaptic plasticity in hippocampus (HPC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). We propose a hypothesis that the theta-rhythm coupling in HPC-mPFC circuit is associated with the synaptic plasticity as an underlying mechanism of the cognitive dysfunction in depression.