Making and breaking of the medial entorhinal grid cell symmetry

Currently, little is known about the functional role of place cells and grid cells in spatial memory navigation. For example, it remains poorly understood how grid cells and place cells respond and adjust to navigating novel environments. The aim of the proposed project is to conduct a systematic investigation of grid cell pattern and place cell field formation in novel environments. Furthermore, this project aims to investigate the mechanisms by which these two cell types interact to produce spatial representations of novel environments. This will be achieved by performing electrophysiological recordings over an extended period of timer from the CA1 region of the hippocampus and/or the medial entorhinal cortex (mEC) while the animal forages a novel environment. The success of this research will serve to further our knowledge of the parahippocampal spatial network and how does it support navigation and episodic memory.