Spontaneous alternation of place-cell sequences in the open field through spike frequency adaptation

Spatial sequences encoded by cells in the hippocampal-entorhinal region have been observed to spontaneously alternate across the animal's midline during navigation in the open field, but it is unknown how this occurs. We show that sinusoidal sampling patterns emerge rapidly and robustly in a simple model of the hippocampal place-cell sequences based on spike frequency adaptation that makes no assumptions about sequence direction. We corroborate our findings using hippocampal data from rats performing a spatial memory task in the open field.