Individual medial entorhinal cortex (mEC) 'grid' cells provide a representation of space that appears to be essentially invariant across environments, modulo simple transformations, in contrast to multiple, rapidly acquired hippocampal maps; it may therefore be established gradually during rodent development. We explore with a simplified mathematical model the possibility that the self-organization of multiple grid fields into a triangular grid pattern may be a single-cell process, driven by firing rate adaptation and slowly varying spatial inputs. A simple analytical derivation indicates that triangular grids are favored asymptotic states of the self-organizing system, and computer simulations confirm that such states are indeed reached during a model learning process, provided it is sufficiently slow to effectively average out fluctuations. The interactions among local ensembles of grid units serve solely to stabilize a common grid orientation. Spatial information, in the real mEC network, may be provided by any combination of feed-forward cortical afferents and feedback hippocampal projections from place cells, since either input alone is likely sufficient to yield grid fields.

The emergence of grid cells: Intelligent design or just adaptation? / Kropff, E.; Treves, A.. - In: HIPPOCAMPUS. - ISSN 1050-9631. - 18:12(2008), pp. 1256-1269. [10.1002/hipo.20520]

The emergence of grid cells: Intelligent design or just adaptation?

Treves, A.
2008-01-01

Abstract

Individual medial entorhinal cortex (mEC) 'grid' cells provide a representation of space that appears to be essentially invariant across environments, modulo simple transformations, in contrast to multiple, rapidly acquired hippocampal maps; it may therefore be established gradually during rodent development. We explore with a simplified mathematical model the possibility that the self-organization of multiple grid fields into a triangular grid pattern may be a single-cell process, driven by firing rate adaptation and slowly varying spatial inputs. A simple analytical derivation indicates that triangular grids are favored asymptotic states of the self-organizing system, and computer simulations confirm that such states are indeed reached during a model learning process, provided it is sufficiently slow to effectively average out fluctuations. The interactions among local ensembles of grid units serve solely to stabilize a common grid orientation. Spatial information, in the real mEC network, may be provided by any combination of feed-forward cortical afferents and feedback hippocampal projections from place cells, since either input alone is likely sufficient to yield grid fields.
2008
18
12
1256
1269
10.1002/hipo.20520
https://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.20520
Kropff, E.; Treves, A.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11767/12573
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