Place cells, grid cells, and the brain's spatial representation system.

Full Abstract

More than three decades of research have demonstrated a role for hippocampal place cells in representation of the spatial environment in the brain. New studies have shown that place cells are part of a broader circuit for dynamic representation of self-location. A key component of this network is the entorhinal grid cells, which, by virtue of their tessellating firing fields, may provide the elements of a path integration-based neural map. Here we review how place cells and grid cells may form the basis for quantitative spatiotemporal representation of places, routes, and associated experiences during behavior and in memory. Because these cell types have some of the most conspicuous behavioral correlates among neurons in nonsensory cortical systems, and because their spatial firing structure reflects computations internally in the system, studies of entorhinal-hippocampal representations may offer considerable insight into general principles of cortical network dynamics.

Author information

Author/s: Moser, Edvard I (EI); Kropff, Emilio (E); Moser, May-Britt (MB);

Affiliation: Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience and Centre for the Biology of Memory, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7489 Trondheim, Norway. edvard.moser(-atsign-)cbm.ntnu.no

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Review

Journal: Annual review of neuroscience (Annu Rev Neurosci), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-; vol 31 (issue ) : pp 69-89

Dates: Created 2008/06/18; Completed 2008/09/19;

PMID: 18284371, status: MEDLINE (last retrieved date: 2/18/2009)

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