The medial prefrontal cortex - hippocampus circuit that integrates information of object, place and time to construct episodic memory in rodents: Behavioral, anatomical and neurochemical properties

•Properties of object exploration tests and neurobiology of time are discussed.•The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and hippocampus involve in object memories.•Neurotransmitter systems within the mPFC and hippocampus modulate object memories.•The entorhinal cortex processes spatial- and object-related information.•The mPFC-hippocampus (CA1 vs. CA3) circuit underlies episodic-like memory.