Cited by 93Memory and Neural MechanismsSpatial Cognition and NavigationNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research

Do hippocampal pyramidal cells respond to nonspatial stimuli?

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O’Keefe, John, Krupic, Julija·2021·Physiological Reviews

Abstract

There are currently a number of theories of rodent hippocampal function. They fall into two major groups that differ in the role they impute to space in hippocampal information processing. On one hand, the cognitive map theory sees space as crucial and central, with other types of nonspatial information embedded in a primary spatial framework. On the other hand, most other theories see the function of the hippocampal formation as broader, treating all types of information as equivalent and concentrating on the processes carried out irrespective of the specific material being represented, stored, and manipulated. One crucial difference, therefore, is the extent to which theories see hippocampal pyramidal cells as representing nonspatial information independently of a spatial framework. Studies have reported the existence of single hippocampal unit responses to nonspatial stimuli, both to simple sensory inputs as well as to more complex stimuli such as objects, conspecifics, rewards, and time, and these findings been interpreted as evidence in favor of a broader hippocampal function. Alternatively, these nonspatial responses might actually be feature-in-place signals where the spatial nature of the response has been masked by the fact that the objects or features were only presented in one location or one spatial context. In this article, we argue that when tested in multiple locations, the hippocampal response to nonspatial stimuli is almost invariably dependent on the animal’s location. Looked at collectively, the data provide strong support for the cognitive map theory.

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  • The observation that CA1 pyramidal cell activity is systematically biased by the animal's location supports the view that space is a fundamental dimension encoded within the hippocampal cognitive map.

    “This observation supports the view that space is a fundamental dimension encoded within the hippocampal cognitive map23,80.”

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. [11]Cohen NJ, Eichenbaum H. Memory, Amnesisa and the Hippocampal System. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1993.
  2. [81]O’Keefe J. Hippocampal neurophysiology in the behaving animal. In: The Hippocampus Book, edited by Andersen P, Morris R, Amaral D, Bliss T., O’Keefe J. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007, p. 471– 544.

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Authors
O’Keefe, J., & Krupic, J.
Affiliations
  • Sainsbury Wellcome Centre and Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
  • University of Cambridge (GB)
Venue
Physiological Reviews
Published
2021-07-01
Volume
101
Issue
3
Pages
1427-1456
ISSN
  • 0031-9333 (ISSN-L)
  • 1522-1210
OpenAlex
W3132482678
Cited by
93
References
136
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 8
FWCI
2.12
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Physiological Reviews (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • Apollo (University of Cambridge) (submittedVersion)
  • Apollo
Funders
  • Wellcome Trust (203020/Z/16/Z, 090843/F/09/Z)
  • Gatsby Charitable Foundation (GAT3361)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Automotive Engineering › Spatial Cognition and Navigation
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
Keywords
hippocampal pyramidal neurons, hippocampal function, spatial representation, single-unit responses, location dependence, rodent hippocampus, object recognition, reward, time
MeSH terms
Place Cells, Animals, Hippocampus, Memory, Pyramidal Cells

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