Phase precession: a neural code underlying episodic memory?
Section snippets
What are the possible functions of phase precession?
Phase precession has typically been studied in the rodent hippocampal formation while the animal navigates in a one-dimensional or two-dimensional environment [9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19•, 20], but phase precession has also been observed outside the hippocampal formation [21], and in a variety of contexts including running on a wheel [3] or treadmill [22], jumping [23], virtual reality [24•, 25•, 26•], and during fixation [27]. Recent evidence indicates phase precession also in
Interfering with phase precession
Although there is no consensus on the mechanisms generating phase precession, it has been possible to alter the entorhinal-hippocampal circuitry in specific ways that resulted in abnormal phase precession. Robbe and Buzsáki [76] examined the effect of cannabinoids on the spatial coding properties of place cells in the hippocampus, as well as on memory and navigation in a spatial-alternation task: the administration of a cannabinoid agonist impaired rats in performing the delayed
Concluding remarks
The study of phase precession has shed light on hippocampal dynamics, on memory-related and goal-related behaviors, and on the computational roles of oscillations in cognition [78]. Whether phase precession enables sequence learning, is a signature of a retrieval process, or neither, remains an open question.
Overall, to unravel functional roles of phase precession, it should be studied in the context of hippocampus-dependent tasks (e.g. [3, 42••, 70••]) that allow for the isolation of internal
Conflict of interest statement
Nothing declared.
References and recommended reading
Papers of particular interest, published within the period of review, have been highlighted as:
• of special interest
•• of outstanding interest
Acknowledgements
We thank Eric Reifenstein and Tiziano D’Albis for comments on the manuscript.
This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) [grant numbers GRK 1589/2, KE 788/3-1] and the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) [grant numbers 01GQ1001A, 01GQ0972].
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Cited by (42)
Episodic Memory formation: A review of complex Hippocampus input pathways
2023, Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological PsychiatryPhase precession in the human hippocampus and entorhinal cortex
2021, CellCitation Excerpt :The widespread prevalence of phase precession suggests that this phenomenon has a more general role beyond representing the current spatial location, and it could be relevant for building neural representations in many regions to support diverse aspects of cognition, learning, and memory. Many theories suggest a fundamental role for phase precession in neural coding (O’Keefe and Recce, 1993; Burgess et al., 1994; Lisman, 2005; Jaramillo and Kempter, 2017), yet phase precession has almost exclusively been studied in rodents. To examine the prevalence and importance of phase precession in humans, we analyzed simultaneous single-neuron and LFP activity from neurosurgical patients as they performed a virtual spatial memory task and examined the patterns of spike-LFP interaction.
The broadband power shifts in entorhinal EEG are related to the firing of grid cells
2021, HeliyonCitation Excerpt :The phase of the theta oscillations corresponding to the moment of place cells spiking was advanced periodically when the rat moved toward the center of the place cell's firing field. This phenomenon is called phase precession [20]. In recent years, many pieces of research have been carried out on the relationship between the firing of grid cells and oscillations [21, 22, 23].
Induced neural phase precession through exogenous electric fields
2024, Nature Communications
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Present address: Center for Neural Science, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, NY, USA.