A single-cell spiking model for the origin of grid-cell patterns.

Spatial cognition in mammals is thought to rely on the activity of grid cells in the entorhinal cortex, yet the fundamental principles underlying the origin of grid-cell firing are still debated. Grid-like patterns could emerge via Hebbian learning and neuronal adaptation, but current computational...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tiziano D'Albis, Richard Kempter
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2017-10-01
Series:PLoS Computational Biology
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5638623?pdf=render
Description
Summary:Spatial cognition in mammals is thought to rely on the activity of grid cells in the entorhinal cortex, yet the fundamental principles underlying the origin of grid-cell firing are still debated. Grid-like patterns could emerge via Hebbian learning and neuronal adaptation, but current computational models remained too abstract to allow direct confrontation with experimental data. Here, we propose a single-cell spiking model that generates grid firing fields via spike-rate adaptation and spike-timing dependent plasticity. Through rigorous mathematical analysis applicable in the linear limit, we quantitatively predict the requirements for grid-pattern formation, and we establish a direct link to classical pattern-forming systems of the Turing type. Our study lays the groundwork for biophysically-realistic models of grid-cell activity.
ISSN:1553-734X
1553-7358