网格细胞的电生理及脑功能成像研究进展

自2005年以来,网格细胞被发现存在于多种哺乳动物的内嗅皮层,它具有独特的六边形网格样空间放电特点以及路径整合功能,是空间导航神经环路中重要的细胞基础。过往相关研究局限于动物水平实验和有创伤神经电生理学实验,而近年来,研究者们成功实现了用f MRI技术在活体人脑中对网格细胞进行检测,并发现网格细胞参与除空间导航以外的更抽象的认知过程,因此网格细胞在人类认知中的作用越来越受到关注。空间导航障碍是阿尔兹海默病最早的征象,而探索空间导航的神经机制是神经科学的重要研究内容。作者就网格细胞的电生理和脑功能成像研究进展展开综述。

Electrophysiological and fMRI research of grid cells

Since 2005, grid cells have been found in the entorhinal cortex in varied mammals. Grid cells, as the cytological basis of spatial navigation, have hexagonally arranged firing fields and play the role of path integration. Previous studies have been limited to animal level experiments and traumatic neurophysiological experiments. While more recently, grid cells have been identified also in human brain using functional MRI. Since found that grid cells participate in abstract cognitive processes more than spatial navigation, the role of grid cells in human cognition has attracted more and more attention. The decline of spatial navigation capability is the earliest sign of Alzheimer's disease. Exploring the neural mechanisms supporting spatial navigation remains a research hotspot in neuroscience. This article reviews the electrophysiological and fMRI research of grid cells.