A cognitive map guides spatial navigation in mammals. Pyramidal neurons
in the hippocampus become active only in a particular region of the environment.
These regions are called ‘place fields’, and these neurons are called place cells. Many
brain regions are involved in the cognitive mapping of the environment. Grid cells in
the medial entorhinal cortex organize themselves on a regular grid of triangles covering
the entire surface of the environment. The firing pattern of grid cells represents the
distance between spatial locations. These distances provide spatial metrics for the
cognitive map. Other neurons that participate in spatial navigation are head direction
cells, border cells, speed cells, goal cells, reward cells, etc.
Hippocampus-entorhinal circuit provides a ‘coordinate system’ for on-line
measurement of distance and direction of landmarks defining a path leading to a goal.
Navigation of an animal toward a goal depends on synaptic plasticity. Functional
synapses are chosen from a set of anatomical synapses based on the interaction of
Hebbian learning rules, sensory feedback, attractor dynamics, and neuromodulation.
Artificial neural networks, which emulate biological neural networks, can be derived
from complete connectomes of an organism. Design and control principles underlying
intelligent autonomous control systems can be understood based on an analysis of these
ANNs.
Keywords: Border Cells, CA1 pyramidal cells, Cognitive map, Coordinate System, Connectomes, Direction cells, Goal Cells, Grid Cells, Hippocampus, Hippocampus – Entorhinal Circuit, Intelligent autonomous control systems, Medial Entorhinal Cortex, Macaque monkey, Neuro - modulation, Place Cells, Rodents, Spatial Navigation, Speed cells, Theta Cycle, Theta Phase Precession.
