Grids from bands, or bands from grids? An examination of the effects of single unit contamination on grid cell firing fields

Neural recording technology is improving rapidly, allowing for the detection of spikes from hundreds of cells simultaneously. The limiting step in multielectrode electrophysiology continues to be single cell isolation. However, this step is crucial to the interpretation of data from putative single...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of neurophysiology 2016-02, Vol.115 (2), p.992-1002
Main Authors: Navratilova, Z, Godfrey, K B, McNaughton, B L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Action Potentials
Algorithms
Animals
Hippocampus - cytology
Hippocampus - physiology
Neurons - physiology
Patch-Clamp Techniques - methods
Patch-Clamp Techniques - standards
Rats
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Summary:Neural recording technology is improving rapidly, allowing for the detection of spikes from hundreds of cells simultaneously. The limiting step in multielectrode electrophysiology continues to be single cell isolation. However, this step is crucial to the interpretation of data from putative single neurons. We present here, in simulation, an illustration of possibly erroneous conclusions that may be reached when poorly isolated single cell data are analyzed. Grid cells are neurons recorded in rodents, and bats, that spike in equally spaced locations in a hexagonal pattern. One theory states that grid firing patterns arise from a combination of band firing patterns. However, we show here that summing the grid firing patterns of two poorly resolved neurons can result in spurious band-like patterns. Thus, evidence of neurons spiking in band patterns must undergo extreme scrutiny before it is accepted. Toward this aim, we discuss single cell isolation methods and metrics.
ISSN:0022-3077
1522-1598
DOI:10.1152/jn.00699.2015