Hippocampal circuit dysfunction in the Tc1 mouse model of Down syndrome

The authors report that the ultrastructure and plasticity of excitatory synapses connecting dentate gyrus and CA3 of the hippocampus are severely compromised in a transchromosomic mouse model of Down syndrome. These alterations are accompanied by unstable information coding by CA3 and CA1 place cells, which may contribute to aspects of impaired cognition in the disease.