Hippocampal Mossy Fiber as a Multifarious Research Platform of Neurobiology and Neural Networks

The hippocampal mossy fiber pathway is a key component of mammalian neural circuits, with distinctive morphology, unique synaptic components and physiological impact. As such, the mossy fiber system provides a powerful model for uncovering fundamental principles of neurobiology, synaptic transmission, and neural network dynamics. This Research Topic aims to bring together cutting-edge work on the diverse roles and mechanisms of hippocampal mossy fibers, and on their contributions to both normal and pathological brain function.Mossy fibers connect dentate gyrus granule cells to CA3 pyramidal neurons, strongly shaping hippocampal activity patterns, memory encoding, and information processing. Recent technical advances—including high-resolution imaging, in vivo optogenetics, refined electrophysiological approaches (including subcellular recordings), and molecular manipulation—have substantially expanded our understanding of how mossy fibers regulate excitability, synaptic integration, and plasticity within the hippocampal formation and beyond.Alterations in mossy fiber structure and function have been implicated in a wide range of neurological and psychiatric disorders, including epilepsy, neurodevelopmental syndromes, and cognitive impairment. Accordingly, studies of mossy fiber synapses not only inform core mechanisms of learning and memory, but also offer translational insight into disease-related circuit dysfunction.This Research Topic encourages submissions addressing the anatomical, functional, molecular, and computational aspects of mossy fiber biology, spanning mechanistic studies, theory, and systems-level analyses.Subtopics may include (but are not limited to):• Anatomical analysis of axonal and synaptic microstructure• Theoretical aspects of mossy fiber function at the level of single axons and/or the entire hippocampal network• Contribution of mossy fibers to in spatial memory• Roles of presynaptic receptors in synaptic transmission and short-term plasticity• Neurobiology of newborn neurons generated by adult neurogenesis• Network modeling of granule cell–to–mossy fiber microcircuitry• Structural and functional analysis of mossy fiber boutons• In vivo analysis of granule cell–to–CA3 neuron circuits• Mossy fiber alterations in epilepsy (including temporal lobe epilepsy) and febrile seizures• Molecular biology of mossy fiber wiring• Unique molecular components of signaling at mossy fiber synapses Topic editors: Haruyuki Kamiya, Janos Szabadics Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78066/hippocampal-mossy-fiber-as-a-multifarious-research-platform-of-neurobiology-and-neural-networks