Meretta Hanson, PhD candidate, 2026 

“Development of differential sublaminar feedforward inhibitory circuits in CA1 hippocampus requires Satb2” Journal of Neuroscience 2025.    

This study investigates mechanisms underlying CA1 pyramidal cell (PC) differentiation and the development of the circuit motifs in the hippocampus. This work applies a combination of mouse genetic models, inducible knock-outs, and electrophysiological recordings. Compelling evidence is provided that expression of the transcriptional regulator Satb2 in superficial PCs is necessary to suppress the formation of inhibitory synapses from parvalbumin-positive interneurons during early development. This is critical to reduce feedforward inhibition of CA3 Schaffer collateral input to superficial PCs relative to deep PCs in mature circuits. These data provide insight into the development of cell-type-specific circuits in the hippocampus, which is crucial for determining how they function to support learning and memory.

link to full-length paper