RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Time cells in the human hippocampus and entorhinal cortex support episodic memory JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 2020.02.03.932749 DO 10.1101/2020.02.03.932749 A1 Umbach, Gray A1 Kantak, Pranish A1 Jacobs, Joshua A1 Kahana, Michael A1 Pfeiffer, Brad E. A1 Sperling, Michael A1 Lega, Bradley YR 2020 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/02/04/2020.02.03.932749.abstract AB The organization of temporal information is critical for the encoding and retrieval of episodic memories. In the rodent hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, recent evidence suggests that temporal information is encoded by a population of “time cells.” We identify time cells in humans using intracranial microelectrode recordings obtained from 27 human epilepsy patients who performed an episodic memory task. We show that time cell activity predicts the temporal organization of episodic memories. A significant portion of these cells exhibits phase precession, a key phenomenon not previously seen in human recordings. These findings establish a cellular mechanism for the representation of temporal information in the human brain needed to form episodic memories.