Overview
- Researchers at USC's Stevens INI report four thin, continuous layers of distinct CA1 pyramidal neuron types in mice, published in Nature Communications.
- The team mapped 58,065 neurons and visualized more than 330,000 RNA molecules using RNAscope with high-resolution imaging to define layer-specific gene signatures.
- These layers form 3D sheets that shift position and thickness along the hippocampal axis, producing region-specific mixes of neuron types.
- An open CA1 cell-type atlas and interactive 3D visualizations are now available via the Hippocampus Gene Expression Atlas and the Schol-AR app.
- The framework offers testable clues to selective neuron vulnerability in Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy, with next steps to confirm the pattern in humans and link layers to behavior.