RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 A multi-level account of hippocampal function from behaviour to neurons
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2022.06.09.495367
DO 10.1101/2022.06.09.495367
A1 Robert M. Mok
A1 Bradley C. Love
YR 2023
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2023/04/17/2022.06.09.495367.abstract
AB A complete neuroscience requires multi-level theories that address phenomena ranging from higher-level cognitive behaviors to activities within a cell. A levels-of-mechanism approach that decomposes a higher-level model of cognition and behavior into component mechanisms provides a coherent and richer understanding of the system than any level alone. Toward this end, we decomposed a cognitive model into neuron-like units using a neural flocking approach that parallels recurrent hippocampal activity. Neural flocking coordinates units that collectively form higher-level mental constructs. The decomposed model suggested how brain-scale neural populations coordinate to form assemblies encoding concept and spatial representations, and why so many neurons are needed for robust performance at the cognitive level. This multi-level explanation provides a way to understand how cognition and symbol-like representations are supported by coordinated neural populations (assemblies) formed through learning.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.