Claustral pathway coordinates distributed cortical dynamics with hippocampal output during sleep to promote memory consolidation
Abstract
The claustrum is a broadly connected subcortical structure proposed to coordinate distributed cortical activity. Claustral neurons are recruited during synchronized brain states and contribute to sleep-dependent memory consolidation, primarily through effects on cortical dynamics. Yet the claustrum also innervates the subicular complex, a major hippocampal output node, raising the possibility that it may regulate both cortical state and hippocampo-cortical dialogue during sleep. Here, we identify a projection-defined population of claustral neurons targeting the subicular complex, CLAsc, that is preferentially recruited during slow-wave sleep and tracks cortical and subicular sleep dynamics. Optogenetic activation of CLAsc neurons during post-learning sleep enhanced spatial memory consolidation without detectable changes in ripple occurrence or slow-oscillation-spindle coupling. Instead, CLAsc activation imposed a stereotyped cortical-subicular motif: a brief gamma-rich Up state followed by a coordinated Down state across prefrontal, retrosplenial and subicular regions. Within this gamma-rich Up state, interareal coherence increased, gamma bursts became synchronized, and lagged directed interactions were transiently reorganized, including an enhanced prefrontal-to-subicular component. Together, these findings identify the claustrum as a state-dependent coordinator that transforms ongoing cortical and hippocampal-output activity into coordinated network transitions during sleep, providing a circuit mechanism through which distributed brain states may support memory consolidation.
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BibTeX
@misc{portet2026claustral,
title = {{Claustral pathway coordinates distributed cortical dynamics with hippocampal output during sleep to promote memory consolidation}},
author = {Coline Portet and Flora Thellier and Matthieu Aguilera and Thomas Blondel and Karin Herbeaux and Caroline Mursch and Jesse Jackson and Demian Battaglia and Yaroslav Sych and Romain Goutagny},
howpublished = {HAL},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.64898/2026.08.13.744575},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05766566v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Claustral pathway coordinates distributed cortical dynamics with hippocampal output during sleep to promote memory consolidation
AU - Coline Portet
AU - Flora Thellier
AU - Matthieu Aguilera
AU - Thomas Blondel
AU - Karin Herbeaux
AU - Caroline Mursch
AU - Jesse Jackson
AU - Demian Battaglia
AU - Yaroslav Sych
AU - Romain Goutagny
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/18
PB - HAL
DO - 10.64898/2026.08.13.744575
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05766566v1
AB - The claustrum is a broadly connected subcortical structure proposed to coordinate distributed cortical activity. Claustral neurons are recruited during synchronized brain states and contribute to sleep-dependent memory consolidation, primarily through effects on cortical dynamics. Yet the claustrum also innervates the subicular complex, a major hippocampal output node, raising the possibility that it may regulate both cortical state and hippocampo-cortical dialogue during sleep. Here, we identify a projection-defined population of claustral neurons targeting the subicular complex, CLAsc, that is preferentially recruited during slow-wave sleep and tracks cortical and subicular sleep dynamics. Optogenetic activation of CLAsc neurons during post-learning sleep enhanced spatial memory consolidation without detectable changes in ripple occurrence or slow-oscillation-spindle coupling. Instead, CLAsc activation imposed a stereotyped cortical-subicular motif: a brief gamma-rich Up state followed by a coordinated Down state across prefrontal, retrosplenial and subicular regions. Within this gamma-rich Up state, interareal coherence increased, gamma bursts became synchronized, and lagged directed interactions were transiently reorganized, including an enhanced prefrontal-to-subicular component. Together, these findings identify the claustrum as a state-dependent coordinator that transforms ongoing cortical and hippocampal-output activity into coordinated network transitions during sleep, providing a circuit mechanism through which distributed brain states may support memory consolidation.
ER -