Dissecting the neural components of the hippocampal cognitive map
Award Number
203020/Z/16/ZAward Type
Principal Research FellowshipsStatus / Stage
CompletedDates
1 April 2017 -31 March 2023
Duration (calculated)
05 years 11 monthsFunder(s)
Wellcome TrustFunding Amount
£2,837,189.00Funder/Grant study page
Wellcome TrustContracted Centre
University College LondonPrincipal Investigator
Prof John O'KeefePI Contact
j.okeefe@ucl.ac.ukPI ORCID
0000-0001-5697-4881WHO Catergories
Understanding Underlying DiseaseDisease Type
Dementia (Unspecified)CPEC Review Info
| Reference ID | 332 |
|---|---|
| Researcher | Reside Team |
| Published | 12/06/2023 |
Data
| Award Number | 203020/Z/16/Z |
|---|---|
| Status / Stage | Completed |
| Start Date | 20170401 |
| End Date | 20230331 |
| Duration (calculated) | 05 years 11 months |
| Funder/Grant study page | Wellcome Trust |
| Contracted Centre | University College London |
| Funding Amount | £2,837,189.00 |
Abstract
The existence of place, directional, boundary and grid cells in the rat hippocampal formation provides strong evidence that this part of the brain functions as a cognitive map. This theory suggests that the hippocampal formation contains map -like representations of familiar environments which enable the animal to identify its current location together with desirable and undesirable locations and to generate the vectors to move towards or away from these. I propose to use novel behavioural tasks, high-density extracellular recording probes, 2-photon imaging, and pharmacological and optogenetic manipulation of cell activity to explore in-depth the properties of these spatial cells and the role of different components of the hippocampal formation in spatial memory and navigation. Specifically I will address the following questions: How well does the activity of place, head direction and grid cells correlate with the animal’s perception of the different aspects of space and which cells are important in supporting navigation to an unmarked goal? What are the relative roles of external landmarks versus internal path integration signals in determining the firing of place cells? Do the l grid cells signal distance travelled in a particular direction or something else such as the shape of the environment?
Aims
My research involves teaching the animal different spatial tasks such as finding an unmarked location in a familiar environment to see how they learn this task. I will use physiological techniques to record brain activity during these behaviours in order to understand more about the role of the different spatial cells in constructing the animal’s representation of the environment and how it navigates.