Modeling grid fields instead of modeling grid cells

A neuron’s firing correlates are defined as the features of the external world to which its activity is correlated. In many parts of the brain, neurons have quite simple such firing correlates. A striking example are grid cells in the rodent medial entorhinal cortex: their activity correlates with the animal’s position in space, defining ‘grid fields’ arranged with a remarkable periodicity. Here, we show that the organization and evolution of grid fields relate very simply to physical space. To do so, we use an effective model and consider grid fields as point objects (particles) moving around in space under the influence of forces. We reproduce several observations on the geometry of grid patterns. This particle-like behavior is particularly salient in a recent experiment in which two separate grid patterns merge. We discuss pattern formation in the light of known results from physics of two-dimensional colloidal systems. Notably, we study the limitations of the widely used ‘gridness score’ and show how physics of 2d systems could be a source of inspiration, both for data analysis and computational modeling. Finally, we draw the relationship between our ‘macroscopic’ model for grid fields and existing ‘microscopic’ models of grid cell activity and discuss how a description at the level of grid fields allows to put constraints on the underlying grid cell network.