Minute-scale periodicity of neuronal firing in the human entorhinal cortex

TitleMinute-scale periodicity of neuronal firing in the human entorhinal cortex
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2023
AuthorsAghajan, ZM, Kreiman, G, Fried, I
JournalCell Reports
Volume42
Issue11
Pagination113271
Date Published11/2023
ISSN22111247
Abstract

Grid cells in the entorhinal cortex demonstrate spatially periodic firing, thought to provide a spatial map on behaviorally relevant length scales. Whether such periodicity exists for behaviorally relevant time scales in the human brain remains unclear. We investigate neuronal firing during a temporally continuous experience by presenting 14 neurosurgical patients with a video while recording neuronal activity from multiple brain regions. We report on neurons that modulate their activity in a periodic manner across different time scales—from seconds to many minutes, most prevalently in the entorhinal cortex. These neurons remap their dominant periodicity to shorter time scales during a subsequent recognition memory task. When the video is presented at two different speeds, a significant percentage of these temporally periodic cells (TPCs) maintain their time scales, suggesting a degree of invariance. The TPCs’ temporal periodicity might complement the spatial periodicity of grid cells and together provide scalable spatiotemporal metrics for human experience.

URLhttps://linkinghub-elsevier-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/retrieve/pii/S2211124723012834
DOI10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113271
Short TitleCell Reports

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