Associative Memory Storage and Retrieval: Involvement of Theta Oscillations in Hippocampal Information Processing

Figure 5

Different types of (idealized) attractors suggest distinct interpretations of neural dynamics observed in experiments. In the 1D ring attractor putatively underlying the head direction system [77] (top left), changing head direction implies moving, whether continuously (green arrow) or in jumps (dashed arrow), along the attractor. Convergent neural activity in IT [76] (top right) and rapid flickers in CA3 [73] (bottom) can be interpreted as rolling down into the attractor basin (white arrows). In CA3, spatial representation activity can also move along the flat attractor valley [79] (green arrow).