Grid cells discharge with less variability than place cells
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1
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität - Department Biology II, Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Munich and Division of Neurobiology, Germany
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2
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Department of Physics, Germany
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3
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität - Department Biology II, Graduate School for Systemic Neuroscience, Germany
The brain’s representation of external space is reflected in spatially modulated firing of hippocampal place cells and grid cells in the entorhinal cortex (EC). Experiments in hippocampus suggest that varying levels of attention underlie the high variability of place cells [Fenton et al. 2010]. Whether the same is true for grid cells, is an open and intriguing question. To tackle this question, we study the variability of grid-cell spiking for runs through firing fields, both on linear tracks and in the open field, using recordings that were made available by E. Moser (Trondheim). By analyzing the factors leading to variability, we find that most of the variability on the linear track can be attributed to trial-to-trial variability of the rat’s path, while the spatial firing map remains stable. This result is in stark contrast to the much higher variability of place cells [Fenton et al. 2010; Fenton and Muller 1998; Jackson and Redish 2006]. Fenton and colleagues report that the variability in hippocampus depends on the context, with the lowest variability occurring during tasks in which the animals had to navigate precisely [Fenton et al. 2010]. The variability we find for grid cells is lower than this minimum. This lends additional support to the hypothesis that the variability in the hippocampus comes from other sources, such as the lateral EC [Rennó-Costa et al. 2010], and not from the grid cells in the medial EC.
Keywords:
Grid Cell,
Movement,
Orientation,
Overdispersion,
Place cell,
Variability in firing fields
Conference:
Bernstein Conference 2012, Munich, Germany, 12 Sep - 14 Sep, 2012.
Presentation Type:
Poster
Topic:
Motor control, movement, navigation
Citation:
Nagele
J,
Patirniche
D,
Mathis
A,
Stemmler
M and
Herz
AV
(2012). Grid cells discharge with less variability than place cells.
Front. Comput. Neurosci.
Conference Abstract:
Bernstein Conference 2012.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fncom.2012.55.00103
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Received:
12 May 2012;
Published Online:
12 Sep 2012.
*
Correspondence:
Mr. Johannes Nagele, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität - Department Biology II, Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Munich and Division of Neurobiology, Planegg-Martinsried, 82152, Germany, nagele@bio.lmu.de