Analysis of nucleus reuniens cell behavior during hippocampal theta rhythm

Coherence estimates have been used to determine the presence of functional coupling between two signals. While direct projections from the nucleus reuniens (RE) to the hippocampus formation in the rat have been discovered, little is known about the possible functional influence of the RE on the hippocampus. This investigation makes use of MATLAB to create a set of specialized algorithms to investigate coherence function estimates between RE cell activity and hippocampal EEG. In addition, error prevention considerations as well as shortcomings in current data acquisition software that ultimately lead to the necessity for additional software analysis tools are also discussed. An investigation into RE cell behavior requires the calculation of cell activity spike rates as well as the identification of action potential bursting phenomena. Isolation of individual cell activity, from a population recording channel, is needed in order to prevent erroneous effects associated with using unresolved multi-neuron recordings. Changes in spike rate activity and frequency of bursting occurrences are calculated as a means of gauging RE unit response to the presence of a stimulus (e.g., tail pinch). The relationship of RE units on hippocampal EEG by analysis of coherence function estimates between RE units and hippocampal EEG, as well as evaluated RE unit behavior in terms of changes in unit spike rate and bursting activity are established.