Memory, navigation and theta rhythm in the hippocampal-entorhinal system

By György Buzsáki, Edvard I. Moser. 2013

1,727 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Theories on the functions of the hippocampal system are based largely on two fundamental discoveries: the amnestic consequences of removing the hippocampus and associated structures in the famous patient H.M. and the observation that spiking activity of hippocampal neurons is associated with the spatial position of the rat. In the footsteps of these discoveries, many attempts were made to reconcile these seemingly disparate functions. Here we propose that mechanisms of memory and planning have evolved from mechanisms of navigation in the physical world and hypothesize that the neuronal algorithms underlying navigation in real and mental space are fundamentally the same. We review experimental data in support of this hypothesis and discuss how specific firing patterns and oscillatory dynamics in the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus can support both navigation and memory.

Subfields: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience

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Citations in the corpus

The restless engram: consolidations never end. (2012, background): “Much of this type of work is conducted on the hippocampus, long implicated in multiple aspects of mammalian memory (Buzsáki and Moser, 2013), although the amygdala, subserving fear conditioning, is also a favorable target (Zhou et al.”
Episodic Memory and Beyond: The Hippocampus and Neocortex in Transformation (2016, positive): “Spatial Details and Representations Because all autobiographical events unfold in a particular spatial context, it has been argued that spatial context has a privileged status in episodic memory, consistent with the HPC’s role in spatial memory and navigation (Buzsaki & Moser 2013, Nadel 2008).”
In contrast to many other mammals, cetaceans have relatively small hippocampi that appear to lack adult neurogenesis (2013, background): “The hippocampus and associated cortices are neural structures thought to be fundamentally involved in the learning and retention of facts, events and space in time (Alme et al. 2010; Buzsáki and Moser 2013).”
A free energy principle for a particular physics (2019, background): “s oscillations. This is interesting because much of empirical neuroscience (and beyond) is occupied with oscillations and their ontology (Breakspear et al., 2010; Burgess et al., 2007; Buzsaki, 1998; Buzsaki and Moser, 2013; Giraud and Poeppel, 2012; Jensen et al., 2014; Lisman, 2012; Lopes da Silva”
Organizing Conceptual Knowledge in Humans with a Grid-like Code (2016, background): “It has been hypothesized that this capacity relies on a ‘cognitive map’, allowing conceptual relationships to be navigated in a similar fashion to space(3-6).”
Cortical travelling waves: mechanisms and computational principles (2018, background): “Hippocampal population rhythms are some of the most well-studied oscillations in the brain and are of particular interest because of their important connections to learning and long-term memory 136 .”
What Can Ethobehavioral Studies Tell Us About The Brain’s Fear System? (2016, background): “While the hippocampus is well known for encoding spatial information necessary for navigation [62,63], initial fear studies examined its function in static fear conditioning contexts [64,65].”
What Learning Systems do Intelligent Agents Need? Complementary Learning Systems Theory Updated. (2016, positive): “(putatively implemented as a continuous attractor, called a ‘ chart ’ [121]) within the CA3 subregion of the hippocampus, and within which speci ﬁ c locations are further individuated [122 – 124].”
Virtual memory palaces: immersion aids recall (2018, background): “Several studies have found that embodied navigation and memory are closely connected (Leutgeb et al. 2005; Buzsáki and Moser 2013).”
What is normal in normal aging? Effects of Aging, Amyloid and Alzheimer’s Disease on the Cerebral Cortex and the Hippocampus (2014, background): “The hippocampus and surrounding cortices are involved in encoding of all new information, consolidation of memories, episodic memory retrieval and spatial navigation (Buzsaki and Moser, 2013), and even show a high level of activity during sleep (Grosmark et al., 2012).”