Hippocampal Motifs

Dorsal Hippocampal neurons provide an allocentric map of space1, characterized by three key properties. First, their firing is spatially selective1-3, termed a rate code. Second, as animals traverse through place fields, neurons sustain elevated firing rates for long periods, however this has received little attention. Third the theta-phase of spikes within this sustained activity varies with animals location, termed phase-precession or a temporal code4-10. The precise relationship between these properties and the mechanisms governing them are not understood, although distal visual cues (DVC) are thought to be sufficient to reliably elicit them2,3. Hence, we measured rat CA1 neurons activity