Temporal context and latent state inference in the hippocampal splitter signal
The hippocampus is thought to enable the encoding and retrieval of ongoing experience, the organization of that experience into structured representations like contexts, maps, and schemas, and the use of these structures to plan for the future. A central goal is to understand what the core computati...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2023-01-01
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| Series: | eLife |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/82357 |
| _version_ | 1797955743153913856 |
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| author | Éléonore Duvelle Roddy M Grieves Matthijs AA van der Meer |
| author_facet | Éléonore Duvelle Roddy M Grieves Matthijs AA van der Meer |
| author_sort | Éléonore Duvelle |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The hippocampus is thought to enable the encoding and retrieval of ongoing experience, the organization of that experience into structured representations like contexts, maps, and schemas, and the use of these structures to plan for the future. A central goal is to understand what the core computations supporting these functions are, and how these computations are realized in the collective action of single neurons. A potential access point into this issue is provided by ‘splitter cells’, hippocampal neurons that fire differentially on the overlapping segment of trajectories that differ in their past and/or future. However, the literature on splitter cells has been fragmented and confusing, owing to differences in terminology, behavioral tasks, and analysis methods across studies. In this review, we synthesize consistent findings from this literature, establish a common set of terms, and translate between single-cell and ensemble perspectives. Most importantly, we examine the combined findings through the lens of two major theoretical ideas about hippocampal function: representation of temporal context and latent state inference. We find that unique signature properties of each of these models are necessary to account for the data, but neither theory, by itself, explains all of its features. Specifically, the temporal gradedness of the splitter signal is strong support for temporal context, but is hard to explain using state models, while its flexibility and task-dependence is naturally accounted for using state inference, but poses a challenge otherwise. These theories suggest a number of avenues for future work, and we believe their application to splitter cells is a timely and informative domain for testing and refining theoretical ideas about hippocampal function. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T23:37:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-07f9f630e77849468560f7aa9402f758 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T23:37:52Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj.art-07f9f630e77849468560f7aa9402f7582023-01-11T14:59:01ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2023-01-011210.7554/eLife.82357Temporal context and latent state inference in the hippocampal splitter signalÉléonore Duvelle0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3514-8801Roddy M Grieves1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6812-4056Matthijs AA van der Meer2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2206-4473Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, United StatesDepartment of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, United StatesDepartment of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, United StatesThe hippocampus is thought to enable the encoding and retrieval of ongoing experience, the organization of that experience into structured representations like contexts, maps, and schemas, and the use of these structures to plan for the future. A central goal is to understand what the core computations supporting these functions are, and how these computations are realized in the collective action of single neurons. A potential access point into this issue is provided by ‘splitter cells’, hippocampal neurons that fire differentially on the overlapping segment of trajectories that differ in their past and/or future. However, the literature on splitter cells has been fragmented and confusing, owing to differences in terminology, behavioral tasks, and analysis methods across studies. In this review, we synthesize consistent findings from this literature, establish a common set of terms, and translate between single-cell and ensemble perspectives. Most importantly, we examine the combined findings through the lens of two major theoretical ideas about hippocampal function: representation of temporal context and latent state inference. We find that unique signature properties of each of these models are necessary to account for the data, but neither theory, by itself, explains all of its features. Specifically, the temporal gradedness of the splitter signal is strong support for temporal context, but is hard to explain using state models, while its flexibility and task-dependence is naturally accounted for using state inference, but poses a challenge otherwise. These theories suggest a number of avenues for future work, and we believe their application to splitter cells is a timely and informative domain for testing and refining theoretical ideas about hippocampal function.https://elifesciences.org/articles/82357place cellsstructure learninghippocampusstate spacesmemorytrajectory-dependent firing |
| spellingShingle | Éléonore Duvelle Roddy M Grieves Matthijs AA van der Meer Temporal context and latent state inference in the hippocampal splitter signal eLife place cells structure learning hippocampus state spaces memory trajectory-dependent firing |
| title | Temporal context and latent state inference in the hippocampal splitter signal |
| title_full | Temporal context and latent state inference in the hippocampal splitter signal |
| title_fullStr | Temporal context and latent state inference in the hippocampal splitter signal |
| title_full_unstemmed | Temporal context and latent state inference in the hippocampal splitter signal |
| title_short | Temporal context and latent state inference in the hippocampal splitter signal |
| title_sort | temporal context and latent state inference in the hippocampal splitter signal |
| topic | place cells structure learning hippocampus state spaces memory trajectory-dependent firing |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/82357 |
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