Source Paper
The effects of changes in the environment on the spatial firing of hippocampal complex-spike cells
RU Muller, JL Kubie
Journal of Neuroscience • 1987
Source Paper
RU Muller, JL Kubie
Journal of Neuroscience • 1987
Using the techniques set out in the preceding paper (Muller et al., 1987), we investigated the response of place cells to changes in the animal's environment. The standard apparatus used was a cylinder, 76 cm in diameter, with walls 51 cm high. The interior was uniformly gray except for a white cue card that ran the full height of the wall and occupied 100 degrees of arc. The floor of the apparatus presented no obstacles to the animal's motions. Each of these major features of the apparatus was varied while the others were held constant. One set of manipulations involved the cue card. Rotating the cue card produced equal rotations of the firing fields of single cells. Changing the width of the card did not affect the size, shape, or radial position of firing fields, although sometimes the field rotated to a modest extent. Removing the cue card altogether also left the size, shape, and radial positions of firing fields unchanged, but caused fields to rotate to unpredictable angular positions. The second set of manipulations dealt with the size and shape of the apparatus wall. When the standard (small) cylinder was scaled up in diameter and height by a factor of 2, the firing fields of 36% of the cells observed in both cylinders also scaled, in the sense that the field stayed at the same angular position and at the same relative radial position. Of the cells recorded in both cylinders, 52% showed very different firing patterns in one cylinder than in the other. The remaining 12% of the cells were virtually silent in both cylinders. Similar results were obtained when individual cells were recorded in both a small and a large rectangular enclosure. By contrast, when the apparatus floor plan was changed from circular to rectangular, the firing pattern of a cell in an apparatus of one shape could not be predicted from a knowledge of the firing pattern in the other shape. The final manipulations involved placing vertical barriers into the otherwise unobstructed floor of the small cylinder. When an opaque barrier was set up to bisect a previously recorded firing field, in almost all cases the firing field was nearly abolished. This was true even though the barrier occupied only a small fraction of the firing field area. A transparent barrier was effective as the opaque barrier in attenuating firing fields. The lead base used to anchor the vertical barriers did not affect place cell firing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Objective: To investigate the response of hippocampal place cells to changes in the animal's environment, specifically testing how place cell firing patterns change when the apparatus floor plan is altered from circular to rectangular configuration
This is a Apparatus Shape Change Study protocol using Not explicitly stated as the model organism. The procedure involves 10 procedural steps, 4 equipment items, 4 materials. Extracted from a 1987 paper published in Journal of Neuroscience.
Model and subjects
Not explicitly stated • Not explicitly stated • unknown • Not explicitly stated • Not explicitly stated
Study window
Estimated timing pending
Core workflow
Establish baseline recording in standard cylinder • Manipulate cue card position • Manipulate cue card width
Primary readouts
Key equipment and reagents
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Record place cell firing patterns in the standard small cylinder apparatus with uniform gray interior and white cue card
Note: The standard apparatus serves as baseline for all subsequent manipulations
“The standard apparatus used was a cylinder, 76 cm in diameter, with walls 51 cm high. The interior was uniformly gray except for a white cue card”
Rotate the white cue card and record resulting changes in place cell firing field positions
Note: Rotating the cue card produces equal rotations of firing fields
“Rotating the cue card produced equal rotations of the firing fields of single cells”
Change the width of the white cue card while recording place cell firing patterns
Note: Width changes do not affect field size, shape, or radial position, though modest rotation may occur
“Changing the width of the card did not affect the size, shape, or radial position of firing fields, although sometimes the field rotated to a modest extent”
Completely remove the white cue card from the apparatus and record place cell firing patterns
Note: Removal leaves field size, shape, and radial positions unchanged but causes unpredictable angular rotation
“Removing the cue card altogether also left the size, shape, and radial positions of firing fields unchanged, but caused fields to rotate to unpredictable angular positions”
Record place cells in both small and large cylinders scaled by factor of 2 in diameter and height
Note: 36% of cells show scaling of firing fields, 52% show different patterns, 12% silent in both
“When the standard (small) cylinder was scaled up in diameter and height by a factor of 2, the firing fields of 36% of the cells observed in both cylinders also scaled”
Record place cells in both small and large rectangular enclosures with scaling
Note: Similar results obtained as with cylinder scaling
“Similar results were obtained when individual cells were recorded in both a small and a large rectangular enclosure”
Record place cells in both circular and rectangular apparatus configurations and compare firing patterns
Note: Firing patterns cannot be predicted from one shape to the other - this is the critical shape change manipulation
“When the apparatus floor plan was changed from circular to rectangular, the firing pattern of a cell in an apparatus of one shape could not be predicted from a knowledge of the firing pattern in the other shape”
Set up an opaque vertical barrier to bisect a previously recorded firing field and record resulting changes
Note: Barrier nearly abolishes firing field despite occupying only small fraction of field area
“When an opaque barrier was set up to bisect a previously recorded firing field, in almost all cases the firing field was nearly abolished”
Set up a transparent vertical barrier to bisect a previously recorded firing field and record resulting changes
Note: Transparent barrier is equally effective as opaque barrier in attenuating firing fields
“A transparent barrier was effective as the opaque barrier in attenuating firing fields”
Verify that the lead base used to anchor barriers does not independently affect place cell firing
Note: Control to ensure barrier effects are not due to anchor apparatus
“The lead base used to anchor the vertical barriers did not affect place cell firing”
This section explains what the experiment is doing, which readouts matter, what the data artifacts usually look like, and how the analysis should flow from raw capture to reported result.
To investigate the response of hippocampal place cells to changes in the animal's environment, specifically testing how place cell firing patterns change when the apparatus floor plan is altered from circular to rectangular configuration
Objective
To investigate the response of hippocampal place cells to changes in the animal's environment, specifically testing how place cell firing patterns change when the apparatus floor plan is altered from circular to rectangular configuration
Subjects
From paperNot explicitly stated • Not explicitly stated • unknown • Not explicitly stated • Not explicitly stated
Cohort notes
From paperAnimals were recorded while moving in various apparatus configurations
Establish baseline recording in standard cylinder (Not specified)
Manipulate cue card position (Not specified)
Manipulate cue card width (Not specified)
Remove cue card (Not specified)
Place cell firing field position (angular and radial)
From paperNot explicitly stated in the methods section
Artifact type
Endpoint measurements summarized by group or timepoint
Comparison focus
Compare endpoint magnitude between groups, timepoints, or both
Place cell firing field size and shape
From paperNot explicitly stated in the methods section
Artifact type
Endpoint measurements summarized by group or timepoint
Comparison focus
Compare endpoint magnitude between groups, timepoints, or both
Presence or absence of firing in different apparatus configurations
From paperNot explicitly stated in the methods section
Artifact type
Endpoint measurements summarized by group or timepoint
Comparison focus
Compare endpoint magnitude between groups, timepoints, or both
Rotation of firing fields in response to cue card manipulations
From paperNot explicitly stated in the methods section
Artifact type
Endpoint measurements summarized by group or timepoint
Comparison focus
Compare endpoint magnitude between groups, timepoints, or both
Place cell firing field position (angular and radial)
From paperRaw artifact
Per-sample or per-animal endpoint measurements collected during the experiment
Processed artifact
Structured table with cleaned measurements ready for comparison
Final reported form
Summary statistics and between-group or across-timepoint comparisons
Place cell firing field size and shape
From paperRaw artifact
Per-sample or per-animal endpoint measurements collected during the experiment
Processed artifact
Structured table with cleaned measurements ready for comparison
Final reported form
Summary statistics and between-group or across-timepoint comparisons
Presence or absence of firing in different apparatus configurations
From paperRaw artifact
Per-sample or per-animal endpoint measurements collected during the experiment
Processed artifact
Structured table with cleaned measurements ready for comparison
Final reported form
Summary statistics and between-group or across-timepoint comparisons
Rotation of firing fields in response to cue card manipulations
From paperRaw artifact
Per-sample or per-animal endpoint measurements collected during the experiment
Processed artifact
Structured table with cleaned measurements ready for comparison
Final reported form
Summary statistics and between-group or across-timepoint comparisons
Acquisition
Collect raw experimental outputs with enough metadata to preserve sample identity, condition, and timing.
Preprocessing / cleaning
Not explicitly stated in the methods section
Scoring or quantification
Quantify the primary readouts for this experiment: Place cell firing field position (angular and radial); Place cell firing field size and shape; Presence or absence of firing in different apparatus configurations; Rotation of firing fields in response to cue card manipulations.
Statistical comparison
Statistical method not yet structured for this page.
Reporting output
Report representative outputs alongside summary comparisons for Place cell firing field position (angular and radial), Place cell firing field size and shape, Presence or absence of firing in different apparatus configurations, Rotation of firing fields in response to cue card manipulations.
Source links and direct wording from the methods section for validation and deeper review.
Citation
RU Muller et al. (1987). The effects of changes in the environment on the spatial firing of hippocampal complex-spike cells. Journal of Neuroscience
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