Topic: spatial trajectories

Replay, a phenomenon whereby cells reactivate representations of spatial trajectories, is thought to be crucial for the storage and consolidation of spatial memories. This phenomenon is commonly studied with respect to a single spatial environment. However, sleeping rats can replay trajectories of the spatial environment they previously experienced and awake rats can replay spatial trajectories of the spatial environment they are in and previously experienced environments. This means that care is needed when interpreting replay, as it may represent a replay of the current environment or anothe

Hippocampal replay, the sequential reactivation of place cells, is postulated to be a mechanism central to memory consolidation. Commonly studied using highly repeated stereotyped behaviours (e.g. running back and forth on a linear track), we don’t understand how such memories are formed in more naturalistic settings, with a single or limited exposure, and the effect on subsequent replay. To further investigate this, we trained rats to run back on forth on two novel linear tracks each day, each track limited to a fixed but different number of laps. Following a post-behaviour sleep session, rat