Time cells in the hippocampus: a new dimension for mapping memories

Recent studies have revealed the existence of hippocampal neurons that fire at successive moments in temporally structured experiences. Several studies have shown that such temporal coding is not attributable to external events, specific behaviours or spatial dimensions of an experience. Instead, th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNature reviews. Neuroscience Vol. 15; no. 11; pp. 732 - 744
Main Author Eichenbaum, Howard
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Nature Publishing Group 01.11.2014
Subjects
Action Potentials
Animals
Brain Mapping
Brain research
Hippocampus - cytology
Humans
Memory
Memory - physiology
Models, Neurological
Neurons - physiology
Neurophysiology
Time Perception - physiology
United States
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Summary:Recent studies have revealed the existence of hippocampal neurons that fire at successive moments in temporally structured experiences. Several studies have shown that such temporal coding is not attributable to external events, specific behaviours or spatial dimensions of an experience. Instead, these cells represent the flow of time in specific memories and have therefore been dubbed 'time cells'. The firing properties of time cells parallel those of hippocampal place cells; time cells thus provide an additional dimension that is integrated with spatial mapping. The robust representation of both time and space in the hippocampus suggests a fundamental mechanism for organizing the elements of experience into coherent memories.
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ISSN:1471-003X
1471-0048
1469-3178
DOI:10.1038/nrn3827