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Is there a geometric module for spatial orientation ? Insights from a rodent navigation model| old_uid | 5221 |
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| title | Is there a geometric module for spatial orientation ? Insights from a rodent navigation model |
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| start_date | 2008/07/10 |
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| schedule | 14h-16h |
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| online | no |
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| summary | Modern psychological theories of spatial cognition postulate the existence of a "geometric module" for reorientation. This concept is derived from the experimental data showing that in rectangular rooms disoriented rats often make diagonal errors, suggesting their preference for the geometric (i.e. room shape) over the non-geometric (e.g. landmark) cues. Moreover, observed sensitivity of hippocampal cell firing to the changes in the environment layout was taken in support of the geometric module hypothesis. Using a computational model of rat navigation, we propose and test the alternative hypothesis that the influence of spatial geometry on both behavioral and neuronal levels can be explained by the properties of visual features that constitute local views of the environment. Our modeling results suggest that the pattern of diagonal errors observed in the reorientation task can be understood by the analysis of sensory information processing that underlies the navigation strategy employed to solve the task. These results argue against the geometric module hypothesis by providing a simpler and biologically more plausible explanation for the related experimental data. |
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| responsibles | Clady |
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