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: Investigate the response of place cells to changes in the animal's environment, specifically comparing place cell firing patterns when recording environments are scaled up by a factor of 2 in diameter and height
This is a Apparatus Size Scaling Study protocol using Not explicitly stated as the model organism. The procedure involves 12 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 standard recording apparatus • Record baseline place cell firing in small cylinder • Scale apparatus diameter and height by factor of 2
Primary readouts
Key equipment and reagents
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Set up the standard small cylinder apparatus with uniform gray interior walls and a white cue card
Note: The cue card runs the full height of the wall and occupies 100 degrees of arc. The floor presents no obstacles to animal motion
“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”
Record place cell firing patterns in the standard small cylinder apparatus
Note: Establish baseline firing field characteristics including size, shape, and radial position
“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”
Construct and use a large cylinder apparatus with diameter and height scaled up by a factor of 2 from the standard apparatus
Note: Large cylinder dimensions are 152 cm diameter and 102 cm wall height
“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 cell firing patterns from the same cells in the large scaled cylinder apparatus
Note: Compare firing patterns to baseline recordings in small cylinder
“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”
Record place cell firing in both small and large rectangular enclosures to compare with cylinder results
Note: Similar scaling effects were observed as with cylindrical apparatus
“Similar results were obtained when individual cells were recorded in both a small and a large rectangular enclosure”
Record place cell firing when apparatus floor plan is changed from circular to rectangular
Note: Firing patterns were not predictable when changing apparatus shape
“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”
Rotate the white cue card and record resulting changes in place cell firing fields
Note: Cue card rotation 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 and record effects on place cell firing
Note: Width changes do not affect firing field size, shape, or radial position
“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”
Remove the white cue card entirely and record place cell firing patterns
Note: Removal leaves 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”
Place an opaque vertical barrier on the floor to bisect a previously recorded firing field
Note: Barrier occupies only a small fraction of firing field area but nearly abolishes the field
“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”
Place a transparent vertical barrier on the floor to test whether visual or physical obstruction is responsible for firing field attenuation
Note: Transparent barrier is as 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 the anchoring mechanism
“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.
Investigate the response of place cells to changes in the animal's environment, specifically comparing place cell firing patterns when recording environments are scaled up by a factor of 2 in diameter and height
Objective
Investigate the response of place cells to changes in the animal's environment, specifically comparing place cell firing patterns when recording environments are scaled up by a factor of 2 in diameter and height
Subjects
From paperNot explicitly stated • Not explicitly stated • unknown • Not explicitly stated • Not explicitly stated
Cohort notes
From paperAnimals were recorded in various apparatus configurations
Establish standard recording apparatus (Not specified)
Record baseline place cell firing in small cylinder (Not specified)
Scale apparatus diameter and height by factor of 2 (Not specified)
Record place cell firing in scaled apparatus (Not specified)
Percentage of cells showing scaled firing fields in enlarged apparatus (36%)
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
Percentage of cells showing different firing patterns between apparatus sizes (52%)
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
Percentage of cells silent in both apparatus sizes (12%)
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
Firing field rotation angle in response to cue card rotation
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
Percentage of cells showing scaled firing fields in enlarged apparatus (36%)
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
Percentage of cells showing different firing patterns between apparatus sizes (52%)
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
Percentage of cells silent in both apparatus sizes (12%)
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
Firing field rotation angle in response to cue card rotation
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: Percentage of cells showing scaled firing fields in enlarged apparatus (36%); Percentage of cells showing different firing patterns between apparatus sizes (52%); Percentage of cells silent in both apparatus sizes (12%); Firing field rotation angle in response to cue card rotation.
Statistical comparison
Statistical method not yet structured for this page.
Reporting output
Report representative outputs alongside summary comparisons for Percentage of cells showing scaled firing fields in enlarged apparatus (36%), Percentage of cells showing different firing patterns between apparatus sizes (52%), Percentage of cells silent in both apparatus sizes (12%), Firing field rotation angle in response to cue card rotation.
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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