Spontaneous emergence of alternating hippocampal theta sequences in a simple 2D adaptation model

SUMMARY 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 hippocampus that makes no assumptions about sequence direction. We corroborate our findings using hippocampal data from rats navigating in the open field.