Below is a summary of the Suter Science Seminar with Dr. Diek Wheeler, who spoke about how he and his team have begun creating a comprehensive knowledge-base of the hippocampus. Enjoy!

(By the way, I have really been meaning to write more interesting blog posts, but I have been so SWAMPED this semester. Fortunately, I will have more time to write a few more posts in the spring semester, so stay tuned!)

Dr. Diek Wheeler’s lecture focused on the work that he and his team have worked tirelessly on for many years in relation to creating a hippocampome. Before explaining the definition of a hippocampome, it is first essential to discuss the reasons why it is important to study the hippocampus at all. One, learning about the hippocampus can provide knowledge about the acquisition of short/long term memory, spatial navigation and mechanisms behind diseases such as Alzheimer’s and epilepsy. Two, there is a plethora of information already about the hippocampus and it is a good place to start in terms of understanding processes in the brain. Three, the hippocampus contains many self-contained regions of cortex, well defined layers and regions and specialized circuitry that allows unique processing. In order to begin creating the hippocampome, Dr. Wheeler incorporates his knowledge of neuroinformatics, which is a system that helps centralize the storage of information, distribute resources found and allow for data mining in order to acquire new information. Therefore, formally speaking, the hippocampome is a knowledge base for the hippocampus pertaining to a healthy adult rodent. The choice was made to use a knowledge based system instead of a data based system because a knowledge base allows one to form insights that provide generalizations across groups. Further, the hippocampome contains compiled information about the hippocampus at the level of neuronal classes.

A hippocampome was deemed necessary for a variety of reasons. It provides better understanding of the hippocampus function in a centralized and easily accessible manner. Due to the vast amount of information available about the hippocampus (approximately 2 articles per day are published on this topic), it was important to start with neuronal classification. Classification is crucial, because it provides an organized method to understanding function of the hippocampus and the brain as a whole. Dr. Wheeler recalls the difficulty he and his team experienced in the beginning of creating the hippocampome, because his goal is without an established precedence. Essentially, a prior baseline did not exist highlighting the criteria that should be used when classifying neurons in the hippocampus. In the end, three main categories were created as ways to approach classification: axonal and dendritic morphologies, biomolecular markers and electrophysiology. By beginning with the morphology of axons and dendrites, Dr. Wheeler and his colleagues were able to create a foundation of a knowledge framework, layering on other types of information: biomolecular markers, electrophysiology, computer models replicating action potentials, detailed simulations and synapatic functioning. The creation of the hippocampome provides some exciting advantages, particularly in terms of bringing to light what information we have yet to learn. In the future, Dr. Wheeler and his team hope to continue expanding the knowledge base of the hippocampome by providing information about other brain regions, as well as links to other helpful databases.