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Phase-tuned neuronal firing encodes human contextual representations for navigational goals.

ABSTRACT: We previously demonstrated that the phase of oscillations modulates neural activity representing categorical information using human intracranial recordings and high-frequency activity from local field potentials (Watrous et al., 2015b). We extend these findings here using human single-neuron recordings during a virtual navigation task. We identify neurons in the medial temporal lobe with firing-rate modulations for specific navigational goals, as well as for navigational planning and goal arrival. Going beyond this work, using a novel oscillation detection algorithm, we identify phase-locked neural firing that encodes information about a person's prospective navigational goal in the absence of firing rate changes. These results provide evidence for navigational planning and contextual accounts of human MTL function at the single-neuron level. More generally, our findings identify phase-coded neuronal firing as a component of the human neural code.

SUBMITTER: Watrous AJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6040884 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Phase-tuned neuronal firing encodes human contextual representations for navigational goals.

Watrous Andrew J AJ Miller Jonathan J Qasim Salman E SE Fried Itzhak I Jacobs Joshua J

eLife 20180622

We previously demonstrated that the phase of oscillations modulates neural activity representing categorical information using human intracranial recordings and high-frequency activity from local field potentials (Watrous et al., 2015b). We extend these findings here using human single-neuron recordings during a virtual navigation task. We identify neurons in the medial temporal lobe with firing-rate modulations for specific navigational goals, as well as for navigational planning and goal arriv ...[more]

PMID: 29932417

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