{
  "abstract": "Oscillatory coherence between brain regions varies flexibly with behavioral demands, yet the circuit mechanism underlying this control remains unclear. Theta rhythm, which coordinates prefrontal-hippocampal activity, is classically attributed to a pacemaker in the medial septum (MS), with the supramammillary nucleus (SuM) as its modulator. Here we show that SuM instead operates as an independently tunable theta oscillator. In rats performing a spatial alternation task, SuM theta frequency decreased before the choice point while MS theta frequency remained stable, reducing the SuM-MS frequency mismatch in both population spiking and local field potentials. The size of this mismatch predicted theta-rhythm coordination between the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and hippocampal CA1 in both the alternation task and open-field foraging. Inhibiting direct mPFC input to SuM abolished the behavior-dependent modulation of SuM frequency and disrupted mPFC-CA1 coupling. These findings place a subcortical theta oscillator under top-down prefrontal control and identify the SuM-MS frequency mismatch as a control variable for interregional coordination.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "University of Lausanne"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "M. Mozaffarilegha"
    },
    {
      "name": "A. Kolaxi"
    },
    {
      "name": "V. Nikoletopoulou"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "H. T. Ito"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3wr3bk366zgke.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.10.13.758762",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.13.758762v1.full",
  "id": "3wr3bk366zgke",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.13.758762v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "neuroscience"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2805|Neural dynamics and brain function"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221780181",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.13.758762v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-13",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3wr3bk366zgke.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:27:42Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.10.13.758762",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.13.758762v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "biorxiv:neuroscience",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Independently tunable subcortical oscillators enable prefrontal control of cortical coupling",
  "title_text": "Independently tunable subcortical oscillators enable prefrontal control of cortical coupling",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:27:42Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3wr3bk366zgke",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}