Topic: hidden state inference

Neural circuit computations are modulated by combinations of internal and external factors. For example, neurons in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) change their firing patterns or “remap” during a reward-seeking task, responding to changing task conditions and environmental cues. Why does this remapping occur? What unifying principles (if any) underlie remapping? Recent work proposes that remapping reflects hidden state inference—changes to an animal’s internal beliefs about the world. Recent experimental evidence suggests that remapping can indeed arise from latent behavioral or cognitive