Brain Waves: How Neuronal Activity Is Timed In Brain’s Memory-making Circuits

Theta oscillations are a type of brain rhythm that orchestrates neuronal activity in the hippocampus, a brain area critical for the formation of new memories. For several decades these oscillations were believed to be “in sync” across the hippocampus, timing the firing of neurons like a sort of central pacemaker. Researchers show that instead of being in sync, theta oscillations sweep along the length of the hippocampus as traveling waves.