Non-Spatial Correlates of Hippocampal Activity

Citation

Dudchenko PA, Wood ER & Eichenbaum H (2002) Non-Spatial Correlates of Hippocampal Activity. In: The Neural Basis of Navigation. Boston, MA: Springer US, pp. 81-96. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0887-8_5

Abstract
A place cell is traditionally defined as a neuron that fires when an animal occupies a specific portion of its environment. Different place cells fire in different portions of a given environment and the existence of these cells in the hippocampus, coupled with the observation of spatial deficits in rodents with hippocampal damage, has led to the hypothesis that this structure provides a neural substrate for Tolman’s “cognitive map” (O’Keefe and Nadel, 1978). Even in the initial characterizations of place cells, however, factors other than the animal’s location were observed to influence hippocampal cell activity significantly (O’Keefe, 1976). In this chapter, we present recent findings which suggest that the activity of hippocampal cells reflects more than just the animal’s location. Although these data will be presented in the context of other work, the reader seeking a full review of the non-spatial correlates of hippocampal cells may wish to see Eichenbaum et al. (1999).

Keywords
Place Cell; Hippocampal Cell; Place Field; Head Direction Cell; Unexpected Stimulus

People

Professor Paul Dudchenko

Professor, Psychology