Probable nature of higher-dimensional symmetries underlying mammalian grid-cell activity patterns.
Elife
; 42015 Apr 24.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25910055
ABSTRACT
Lattices abound in nature-from the crystal structure of minerals to the honey-comb organization of ommatidia in the compound eye of insects. These arrangements provide solutions for optimal packings, efficient resource distribution, and cryptographic protocols. Do lattices also play a role in how the brain represents information? We focus on higher-dimensional stimulus domains, with particular emphasis on neural representations of physical space, and derive which neuronal lattice codes maximize spatial resolution. For mammals navigating on a surface, we show that the hexagonal activity patterns of grid cells are optimal. For species that move freely in three dimensions, a face-centered cubic lattice is best. This prediction could be tested experimentally in flying bats, arboreal monkeys, or marine mammals. More generally, our theory suggests that the brain encodes higher-dimensional sensory or cognitive variables with populations of grid-cell-like neurons whose activity patterns exhibit lattice structures at multiple, nested scales.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Percepción Espacial
/
Adaptación Biológica
/
Navegación Espacial
/
Mamíferos
/
Modelos Neurológicos
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
Límite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Elife
Año:
2015
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos