[The hippocampus and the neural code of spatial memory].
Recent work on the neural substrate of spatial memory strongly suggests the existence of a neuronal network dedicated to the coding of spatial information and allowing the subject to orient in space. This network includes place cells of the hippocampus, head direction cells which are found in several brain regions and particularly the post-subiculum, and grid cells in the entorhinal cortex. Several recently discovered features of place cell activity shed light on how the hippocampus contributes to memory construction. For instance, learning a novel environment relies on a dynamic population code in which place cell activity suddenly changes towards stable states built during previous experience. We briefly review these properties to show how they constrain the hippocampal memory code.
Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition, Universite de provence et Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Marseille Cedex, France. bruno.poucet@univ-provence.fr
Bruno
B
Poucet
Alice
A
Alvernhe
Vincent
V
Hok
Sophie
S
Renaudineau
Francesca
F
Sargolini
Etienne
E
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D000818:Animals; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004777:Environment; D005106:Exploratory Behavior; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*