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Is the hippocampus of the rat part of a specialized navigational system?
Author(s) -
Muller R.U.,
Poucet B.,
Fenton A.A.,
Cressant A.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
hippocampus
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.767
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1098-1063
pISSN - 1050-9631
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-1063(1999)9:4<413::aid-hipo7>3.0.co;2-#
Subject(s) - hippocampus , neuroscience , psychology , cognitive science
The spatial mapping theory of hippocampal function proposes that the rat hippocampus is specialized for navigational computations, computations that allow the animal to solve difficult spatial problems. In this paper, we review evidence obtained by recording place cells and other “spatially tuned” cells from freely moving rats. Our main conclusion is that the nature of the signals carried by these cells and the ways in which the signals transform after changing the environment imply that the hippocampus and associated structures are able to represent aspects of the geometry of the environment. Hippocampus 1999; 9:413–422. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.