Learning Spatial Localization: From Rat Studies to Computational Models of the Hippocampus |
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Authors: | Alejandra Barrera Gonzalo Tejera Martin Llofriu Alfredo Weitzenfeld |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), Mexico City, Mexicoabarrera@itam.mx;3. Instituto de Computación (INCO), College of Engineering, Universidad de la República (UDELAR), Montevideo, Uruguay;4. Department of Computer Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, University of South Florida (USF), Tampa, FL, USA |
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Abstract: | In his landmark article, Richard Morris (1981) introduced a set of rat experiments intended “to demonstrate that rats can rapidly learn to locate an object that they can never see, hear, or smell provided it remains in a fixed spatial location relative to distal room cues” (p. 239). These experimental studies have greatly impacted our understanding of rat spatial cognition. In this article, we address a spatial cognition model primarily based on hippocampus place cell computation where we extend the prior Barrera–Weitzenfeld model (2008) intended to allow navigation in mazes containing corridors. The current work extends beyond the limitations of corridors to enable navigation in open arenas where a rat may move in any direction at any time. The extended work reproduces Morris's rat experiments through virtual rats that search for a hidden platform using visual cues in a circular open maze analogous to the Morris water maze experiments. We show results with virtual rats comparing them to Morris's original studies with rats. |
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Keywords: | cognitive map place cells spatial cognition spatial learning |
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