Ask HN: A few questions about grid cells (neuroscience)
Is it based on time, space, proprioception, or other stimuli? I.e. does a new grid cell start to take over after:
1) the rat travels a certain distance?
2) a certain amount of time moving elapses?
3) a certain number of steps / movements?
4) the visual environment changes enough to suggest a different place?
How does this relate to humans and vehicles? I.e. for driving tasks, the car body feels like an extension of my body. Would my brain learn different grid cells for the same locations if I walked a trajectory vs. driving the same general trajectory in a car? On a bike?
Rats are not generally known for piloting vehicles, but could we put a rat on a faster or slower cart to try to disambiguate distance vs. time spent? Could we attach stilts to try and disambiguate distance / visuals vs. step-counting proprioception?
Are there any studies of grid cells in humans, or only in rats? Have grid cells been identified in any other animals?
Thanks!