Amyloid plaques drive state-dependent long-range circuit reorganization in the hippocampus

, it is unknown how this pathology shapes functional hippocampal maps in freely behaving animals. We combined chronic 1-photon calcium imaging, local field potential recordings, and post hoc 2-photon plaque imaging in freely behaving APP/PS1 mice across behavior and sleep to correlate real-time hippocampal activity and place coding with precise plaque topography. Here we show that plaques exert nonlocal, long-range effects on hippocampal activity that depend on plaque size, laminar position, and the animal's behavioral state. Place cells, which encode spatial position and are normally uniformly distributed, are preferentially enriched near plaques, revealing an aberrant reorganization of plaque-adjacent neurons into the hippocampal map of space. In longitudinal experiments, pre-existing place cell locations do not predict future plaque sites, whereas hyperactivity during slow-wave sleep weakly predicts future amyloid deposition. These findings identify a mechanism by which amyloid pathology reorganizes brain circuits, degrading the functional architecture of the hippocampus and contributing to widespread dysfunction and cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease.

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Publication Details

Journal
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Published
2026-04-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.22.720180
Primary Topic
Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Amyloid plaques drive state-dependent long-range circuit reorganization in the hippocampus

H Li, Stephen N. Gomperts, Niket Gowravaram, R.J. Green et al.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
article

Amyloid plaques drive state-dependent long-range circuit reorganization in the hippocampus

H Li, Stephen N. Gomperts, Niket Gowravaram, R.J. Green, Zhuoyang Zhao, Bradley T Hyman, Ksenia Kastanenka, Locascio J Joseph, Brian Bacskai
article en

Abstract

, it is unknown how this pathology shapes functional hippocampal maps in freely behaving animals. We combined chronic 1-photon calcium imaging, local field potential recordings, and post hoc 2-photon plaque imaging in freely behaving APP/PS1 mice across behavior and sleep to correlate real-time hippocampal activity and place coding with precise plaque topography. Here we show that plaques exert nonlocal, long-range effects on hippocampal activity that depend on plaque size, laminar position, and the animal's behavioral state. Place cells, which encode spatial position and are normally uniformly distributed, are preferentially enriched near plaques, revealing an aberrant reorganization of plaque-adjacent neurons into the hippocampal map of space. In longitudinal experiments, pre-existing place cell locations do not predict future plaque sites, whereas hyperactivity during slow-wave sleep weakly predicts future amyloid deposition. These findings identify a mechanism by which amyloid pathology reorganizes brain circuits, degrading the functional architecture of the hippocampus and contributing to widespread dysfunction and cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease.

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Harvard University (US), Massachusetts General Hospital (US)
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 17%
Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
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