Possible mechanisms of interdependent processing of multimodal sensory and spatial information in the CNS

We performed an analysis of possible mechanisms of influence of multimodal sensory information on the activity of “place cells” and the generation of “odor – object – place” associations in the hippocampus, as well as the role of the hippocampal formation in the appearance of “place cells” in different areas of the cortex. The research was based on the readily available data that, in addition to the “what” and “where” information entering the hippocampus through the lateral and medial parts of the entorhinal cortex, respectively, various areas of the cortex influence hippocampal activity through the anterior, reuniens, and mediodorsal thalamic nuclei. The analyzed neural network interdependently processes multimodal sensory and spatial information. This network includes topographically connected areas of the cortex, hippocampal formation, basal ganglia, cerebellum, thalamic and other subcortical nuclei, thus forming a global connectome. This connectome consists of topographically organized connectomes, each of which processes the properties of sensory stimuli of a certain modality. It has been suggested that long-term dopamine-dependent plastic changes in the efficacy of synaptic transmission between neurons in the connectome may underlie dynamic reorganizations in the activity of “place cells” in the hippocampal formation and in the cortex providing adequate spatial navigation based on a diverse sensory environment. The consequences of the proposed mechanism are consistent with the experimental results known from the literature.