Spatial Memory

Question 1

spatial memory

Answer 1

type of memory that enables an individual to remember the location of objects and navigate through space. It allows us to remember the layout of a room, how to get from one place to another, and where we have left objects. Spatial memory is an important part of our everyday lives, as it helps us navigate and interact with our environment

Question 2

Place Cells (Where Am I?)

Answer 2

• Hippocampus keeps spatial map of our environment which is highly correlated to episodic memories
• These neurons on the hippocampus were termed “place cells”, because they were sensitive to specific regions in space (place fields)
  -> Multiple maps can be produced based on specific combination of active place cells at different times in different spaces
• Located in the hippocampus (CA1 and CA3 region)

Question 3

Remapping

Answer 3

= refers to the change in the place field characteristics that occurs when a subject experiences a new environment, or the same environment in a new context.

Question 4

Place cells and plasticity

Answer 4

Firing fields of place cells are formed and maintained thanks to the same plasticity processes underlying LTP, involving the NMDA receptors of the pyramidal cells that make up the Schaffer collateral

Pharmacological or genetic disruption of LTP results in impaired performance on tasks that require spatial memory

Question 5

Grid Cells (Where Am I going?)

Answer 5

Part of a complex navigation systems
Project with other cells all information towards place cells
Allowing for formation of very complex maps
The grid cell system is capable of dividing