Figure 5.

Theta sequences and trajectory planning. (Left) A rat runs on the central arm of a maze (blue dashed box) and must decide whether to turn left of right at a choice point (red dashed box). Letters represent hippocampal cell assemblies and colored ellipses illustrate their respective firing fields on the maze. Center. During deliberation (vicarious trial and error, VTE) at the choice point, sequences of cell assemblies alternatively sweep toward the two possible paths (top). Extra-field firing can occur before the animal turns back toward the choice point during error correction trials (bottom). (Right) When the animal runs along a segment of the maze, theta sequences can represent positions centered on the animal (“in-between”), behind the animal (“more behind”) or ahead (“more ahead”). The spatial representation embedded in theta sequences is influenced by multiple factors, including the velocity and acceleration of the animal, as well as the location of surrounding landmarks.