Can humans and animals really use internal maps to navigate and take shortcuts?
Tolman famously argued "yes" - based largely on his Sunburst maze experiment.
However, our new review & meta-analysis suggests the evidence is far weaker than you might think.
π§΅π https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.70365
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#neuroESC #navigation #neuroscience #neuroethology #SpatialCognition #AnimalBehaviour #shortcutting #cognitivemap #tolman
Hello Mastodon π
I study how brains navigate space - from 2D mazes to fully 3D environments. My focus is on hippocampal place cells, entorhinal grid cells, and head direction cells, combining behavior, electrophysiology, and computational models.
Iβm here to share lab findings, discuss interesting papers, and explore how animals map and move through the world.
Occasionally, Iβll highlight moments when the brain does something unexpectedly clever (or confusing).
Excited to meet people in neuroscience and beyond. Always happy to chat about space, brains, or just interesting science in general. π§ π
#neuroesc #navigation #neuroscience #neuroethology #introduction #SpatialCognition
Paper resubmitted! β
π€It's a review about the #Tolman #Sunburst maze and how, despite many attempts, its results have not been consistently replicated (at all)... And no, the light is not really the problem!
I'll post a thread when / if it comes out!
Written with Roddy Grieves in the #NeuroESC lab!
New rat screening environment for the #NeuroESC lab :)
(PS: recycled and recyclable plastic apparently!)
#SpikeGadgets upping their game with some goodies coming with out latest order! I am not usually impressed by these but.. I quite like these ones π
#NeuroESC lab
The #NeuroESC lab got its first grant!! It's a very small one (Royal Society Research grant) on which I contributed a little and it should get us started on setting up some ephys and behavioural equipment. π₯³
(NeuroESC is for NeuroEthology and Spatial Cognition Lab with Roddy Grieves as lab head and me as a postdoc)
#NeuroESC #JournalClub
Reading Mental exploration of future choices during immobility theta oscillations
If you've read it, will you let me know what you think?
The authors look at #ThetaSequences in a working memory task in a radial arm maze. They find theta during immobility (makes sense, e.g. we saw that in our two-goals task). They also find that theta sequences might preferentially represent the next goal (also makes sense, e.g. Hippocampal theta sequences reflect current goals)!
I have only done a quick reading so far, but am confused by a few points:
the decoded algorithm itself includes a ' position transition matrix' which seems like it would bias decoding towards realistic trajectories that the rat is about to do??? (but I probably missed something)
also, this study is very related to this other paper, which is not discussed or even cited (π ):
Assembly Responses of Hippocampal CA1 Place Cells Predict Learned Behavior in Goal-Directed Spatial Tasks on the Radial Eight-Arm Maze #CsisvariLab
Let me know what you think!
Mental exploration enables flexible evaluation of potential future choices, guiding decision-making without requiring direct real-world iterations. Although the hippocampus is known to be active while imagining the future, the precise mechanisms that support mental exploration of future choices remain unclear. In the hippocampus, the theta rhythm (4-12 Hz) is prevalent during movement and supports memory coding during real-world exploration by organizing neuronal activity patterns into short virtual path segments (theta sequences) around the ratβs location. We observed these theta-related neural activity patterns during movement in a hippocampus-dependent working memory task and also, unexpectedly, theta oscillations and theta-related neural activity during immobility. Compared to standard theta sequences during movement, theta sequences during immobility differed in that they occurred at a shifted theta phase and preferentially represented remote locations, in particular the next choice in the working memory task. Coding for future locations was also observed during awake sharp wave ripple, but these short-lasting events occurred rarely and were biased toward frequently visited locations. Therefore, our findings suggest that recurring bouts of theta oscillations during immobility, which are also observed in primates and humans, support the cognitive demands of mental exploration in the hippocampal network and facilitate ongoing predictions of future choices. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.
Do I know anyone who has recently (past few years) secured a New Investigator #BBSRC Research grant? We are writing one and could really do with an example of what works..
If you do and would be willing to share all or part of the application material the #NeuroESC lab would be eternally grateful π
Edit: this is what we're applying to: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/bbsrc-new-investigator-award-2025-round-one-responsive-mode/
Edit 2: Thanks to you all we've already got 3 example applications! You are all awesome π€ This will already help a lot, the last thing we would need is one from the most recent call (Jan 2024?) and as a "New Investigator", especially if you are also willing to share the reviewers' comments which are really useful to see what people look for in these applications - DM me if so π
(It's our first one... lots to learn but not so many opportunities for learning!)
#Research #ResearchFunding #ResearchGrants
Roddy Grieves
El Duvelle Neuro
El Duvelle
