Abnormality of place cells and neural oscillations mediate spatial memory impairment in Alzheimer disease

Alzheimer disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease primarily affecting older adults. With the exacerbation of global aging, the number of AD patients has increased steadily, posing a major public health challenge. One of the most common clinical manifestations of AD is spatial memory impairment, which is typically mediated by hippocampal dysfunction. Place cells in the hippocampus support the formation, consolidation and retrieval of spatial memory through unique firing patterns, but the function of which is impaired in AD, leading to spatial memory deficits. Additionally, abnormal neural oscillations (such as θ oscillations, γ oscillations, and sharp wave ripples) are also closely associated with spatial memory impairment in AD. This article reviews the role of hippocampal place cells and neural oscillations in spatial memory, and reveals the possible mechanisms of the abnormal manifestations of place cell firing patterns and neural oscillations in AD, providing insights for the diagnosis and therapeutic strategies for AD.