Models of grid cells and theta oscillations

Abstract

Arising from M. M.Yartsev, M. P. Witter &N. Ulanovsky 479, 103-107 (2011)Grid cells recorded in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) of freely moving rodents show a markedly regular spatial firing pattern whose underlying mechanism has been the subject of intense interest. Yartsev et al. report that the firing of grid cells in crawling bats does not show theta rhythmicity “causally disproving a major class of computational models” of grid cell firing that rely on oscillatory interference. However, their data may be consistent with these models, with the apparent lack of theta rhythmicity reflecting slow movement speeds and low firing rates. Thus, the conclusion of Yartsev et al. is not supported by their data. © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.