Symmetries and asymmetries in the neural encoding of 3D space

Jeffery, K. J. (2023) Symmetries and asymmetries in the neural encoding of 3D space. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 378(1869), 20210452. (doi: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0452) (PMID:36511410) (PMCID:PMC9745873)

Abstract

The neural coding of space centres on three foundational cell types: place cells, head direction cells and grid cells. One notable characteristic of these neurons is the symmetry properties of their spatial firing patterns. In symmetric environments, firing patterns are often also symmetric: for example, place cells show translational symmetry in aligned sub-compartments of a multi-compartment environment. A single head direction cell has a mirror-symmetric firing pattern, while a sub-class of head direction cells can show multi-fold rotational symmetries in multi-compartment environments, matching the symmetry of the recently experienced environment. The entorhinal grid cells are notable for the symmetry of their firing patterns in both rotational and translational domains. However, these symmetries are broken in a variety of situations. These symmetry-making and -breaking observations shed light on the underlying computations that generate these firing patterns, and also invite speculation as to whether they may have a functional role. This article outlines these findings and speculates on the consequences of the resultant firing symmetries and asymmetries for spatial coding and cognition. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘New approaches to 3D vision’.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This research was funded in whole, or in part, by the Wellcome Trust WT103896AIA.
• Keywords: Symmetry, 3D space, spatial cognition, place cells, head direction cells, grid cells.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Jeffery, Professor Kate

Creator Roles

Jeffery, K. J.: Writing – review and editing

• Authors: Jeffery, K. J.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Psychology & Neuroscience
• Journal Name: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
• Publisher: The Royal Society
• ISSN: 0962-8436
• ISSN (Online): 1471-2970
• Published Online: 13 December 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Author
• First Published: First published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 378(1869): 20210452
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License