place cell
Hippocampal neurons that fire when an animal is in a specific location within its environment.
Full Definition
Place cells are pyramidal neurons in the hippocampus that exhibit location-specific firing patterns, creating a cognitive map of spatial environments. These cells fire maximally when an animal occupies a particular region of space, called the cell's place field. The discovery of place cells by John O'Keefe revolutionized our understanding of spatial navigation and memory formation, earning him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2014. Place cell dysfunction is associated with spatial memory deficits in various neurodegenerative diseases.
Usage
Usage note: Distinguish from grid cells, which show hexagonal firing patterns, and head direction cells.
In Context
- "The recording revealed stable place cell firing patterns during repeated maze traversals." — Behavioral neuroscience paper
- "Place cell remapping occurred when environmental cues were altered in the experimental arena." — Research methodology