Ole Christian Sylte
@olechsylte.bsky.social
Neuroscientist, postdoc in Stephenson-Jones lab at Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, UCL
How does this help downstream neurons?
If drift is coordinated (preserving geometry), downstream neurons can compensate and read stable spatial maps. But if drift distorts the geometry, a downstream network fails under noise.
If drift is coordinated (preserving geometry), downstream neurons can compensate and read stable spatial maps. But if drift distorts the geometry, a downstream network fails under noise.
February 5, 2025 at 9:09 AM
How does this help downstream neurons?
If drift is coordinated (preserving geometry), downstream neurons can compensate and read stable spatial maps. But if drift distorts the geometry, a downstream network fails under noise.
If drift is coordinated (preserving geometry), downstream neurons can compensate and read stable spatial maps. But if drift distorts the geometry, a downstream network fails under noise.
How can the geometry be stable while individual neurons drift?
It turns out the entire population activity is gradually rotating and translating in neural state space. These two transformations can accurately account for the observed drift.
It turns out the entire population activity is gradually rotating and translating in neural state space. These two transformations can accurately account for the observed drift.
February 5, 2025 at 9:09 AM
How can the geometry be stable while individual neurons drift?
It turns out the entire population activity is gradually rotating and translating in neural state space. These two transformations can accurately account for the observed drift.
It turns out the entire population activity is gradually rotating and translating in neural state space. These two transformations can accurately account for the observed drift.
Because the internal geometry remains stable, we can align neural activity across days and recover stable spatial tuning.
Crucially, this only works for coordinated drift - it fails for recovering ‘remapping’ across context or simulated uncoordinated drift.
Crucially, this only works for coordinated drift - it fails for recovering ‘remapping’ across context or simulated uncoordinated drift.
February 5, 2025 at 9:09 AM
Because the internal geometry remains stable, we can align neural activity across days and recover stable spatial tuning.
Crucially, this only works for coordinated drift - it fails for recovering ‘remapping’ across context or simulated uncoordinated drift.
Crucially, this only works for coordinated drift - it fails for recovering ‘remapping’ across context or simulated uncoordinated drift.
However, these changes aren’t random! Instead, the entire population shifts in a coordinated way that preserves its internal geometry - like a constellation moving across the night sky while keeping its overall shape.
February 5, 2025 at 9:09 AM
However, these changes aren’t random! Instead, the entire population shifts in a coordinated way that preserves its internal geometry - like a constellation moving across the night sky while keeping its overall shape.
To address this, @antjekilias.bsky.social (co-first author) performed multi-day 2-photon imaging of CA1 pyramidal neurons while mice navigated a virtual environment. As expected, the spatial map drift across days.
February 5, 2025 at 9:09 AM
To address this, @antjekilias.bsky.social (co-first author) performed multi-day 2-photon imaging of CA1 pyramidal neurons while mice navigated a virtual environment. As expected, the spatial map drift across days.