{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Newsroom","provider_url":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news","author_name":"lytal","author_url":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/author\/clytal\/","title":"USC study reveals hidden cellular layers in the brain\u2019s memory center","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"qNV0yPVCNU\"><a href=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/usc-study-reveals-hidden-cellular-layers-in-the-brains-memory-center\/\">USC study reveals hidden cellular layers in the brain\u2019s memory center<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/usc-study-reveals-hidden-cellular-layers-in-the-brains-memory-center\/embed\/#?secret=qNV0yPVCNU\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;USC study reveals hidden cellular layers in the brain\u2019s memory center&#8221; &#8212; Newsroom\" data-secret=\"qNV0yPVCNU\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2025\/12\/Image_2.png","thumbnail_width":1000,"thumbnail_height":745,"description":"Researchers at the Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have identified a previously unknown pattern of organization in one of the brain\u2019s most important areas for learning and memory. The study, published in Nature Communications, reveals that the CA1 region of a mouse\u2019s hippocampus, a structure vital for memory formation, spatial navigation, and emotions, has four distinct layers of specialized cell types. This discovery changes our understanding of how information is processed in the brain and could explain why certain cells are more vulnerable in diseases like Alzheimer\u2019s and epilepsy.\u201cResearchers have long suspected that different parts of the hippocampus\u2019 CA1 region handle different aspects of learning and memory, but it wasn\u2019t clear how the underlying cells were arranged,\u201d said Michael S. Bienkowski, PhD, senior author of the study and assistant professor of physiology and neuroscience and of biomedical engineering."}