Evaluation Summary:
This project has substantial potential for better explaining the physiological basis of how to best use electrical stimulation on the cortical surface to modulate the hippocampal memory system. This would be an important task translationally and practically because it could lead to methods for modulating activity in deep brain structures noninvasively. However, in its current form the paper has weaknesses that make the results hard to trust and interpret. In its current form, it is not clear if the data clearly support the paper's strong conclusions.
(This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #2 and Reviewer #3 agreed to share their name with the authors.)