Spatial Cognition

Bruno Poucet
Phone: +33 (0) 488576874
Fax: +33 (0) 488 57 68 72
email: bruno.poucet@univ-provence.fr
Main Scientific Interests
  • Animal cognition
  • Behavioral processes involved in spatial memory and navigation in animals
  • Neural substrates of spatial cognition: hippocampus and neocortical areas
  • Prefrontal cortex and planning
  • Information coding by populations of neurons (e.g., place and head direction cells)
  • and others ...
    •
Publications
  • Maaroufi K, Had-Aissouni L, Melon C, Sakly M, Abdelmelek H, Poucet B, Save E. (2009). Effects of prolonged iron overload and low frequency electromagnetic exposure on spatial learning and memory in the rat Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 92: 345-355 [full paper]

  • Burton, B.G., Hok, V., Save, E., and Poucet, B. (2009). Lesion of the ventral and intermediate hippocampus abolishes anticipatory activity in the medial prefrontal cortex of the rat. Behavioural Brain Research, 199: 222-234 [full paper]

  • Alvernhe A, Van Cauter T, Save E and Poucet B (2008). Different CA1 and CA3 representations of novel routes in a shortcut situation. Journal of Neuroscience, 28: 7324-7333 [full paper]

  • Van Cauter, T., Poucet, B. and Save E. (2008). Delay-dependent involvement of the rat entorhinal cortex in habituation to a novel environment Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 90: 192-199 [full paper]

  • Van Cauter, T., Poucet, B. and Save, E. (2008). Unstable CA1 place cell representations in rats with entorhinal cortex lesions. European Journal of Neuroscience, 27: 1933-1946 [full paper]

  • Gaussier, P., Banquet, J.-P., Sargolini F., Giovannangeli, C., Save, E. and Poucet, B. (2007). A model of grid cells involving extra hippocampal path integration and the hippocampal loop Journal of Integrative Neuroscience, 6: 447-476 [full paper]

  • Hok, V., Lenck-Santini, P.-P., Save, E., Gaussier, P., Banquet, J.-P. and Poucet, B. (2007). A test of the time estimation hypothesis of place cell goal-related activity Journal of Integrative Neuroscience, 6: 367-378 [full paper]

  • Renaudineau, S., Poucet, B. and Save, E. (2007). Flexible use of proximal objects and distal cues by hippocampal place cells. Hippocampus, 17: 381-395 [full paper]

  • Hok, V. Lenck-Santini, P.-P., Roux, S., Save, E., Muller, R. U. and Poucet, B. (2007). Goal-related firing in hippocampal place cells Journal of Neuroscience, 27: 472-482 [full paper]

  • Paz-Villagran, V., Save, E. and Poucet, B. (2006). Spatial discrimination of visually similar environments by hippocampal place cells in the presence of remote recalibrating landmarks European Journal of Neuroscience, 23: 187-195 [full paper]

  • Parron, C., Poucet, B. and Save, E. (2006). Cooperation between the hippocampus and the entorhinal cortex in spatial memory: A disconnection study. Behavioural Brain Research, 170: 99-109 [full paper]

  • Poucet, B. and Save, B. (2005). Attractors in memory. Science, 308: 799-800 [full paper]

  • Lenck-Santini, P.-P., Rivard, B., Muller, R.U. and Poucet, B. (2005). Study of CA1 place cell activity and exploratory behavior following spatial and nonspatial changes in the environment. Hippocampus, 15: 356-369 [full paper]

  • Hok, V., Save, E., Lenck-Santini, P.-P. and Poucet, B. (2005). Coding for spatial goals in the prelimbic - infralimbic area of the rat frontal cortex. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 102: 4602-4607 [full paper]

  • Save, E., Paz-Villagran, V., Alexinsky, T. and Poucet B. (2005). Functional interaction between the associative parietal cortex and hippocampal place cell firing in the rat. European Journal of Neuroscience, 21: 522-530 [full paper]

  • Poucet, B., Lenck-Santini, P.-P., Hok, V., Save, E., Banquet, J.-P., Gaussier, P. and Muller, R.U. (2004). Spatial navigation and hippocampal place cell firing: The problem of goal encoding. Reviews in the Neurosciences, 15: 89-107 [full paper]

  • Parron, C., Poucet, B. and Save, E. (2004). Entorhinal cortex lesions impair the use of distal but not proximal landmarks during place navigation in the rat. Behavioural Brain Research, 154: 345-352 [full paper]

  • Rivard, B., Li, Y., Lenck-Santini, P.-P., Poucet, B. and Muller, R.U. (2004). Representation of objects in space by two classes of hippocampal pyramidal cells. Journal of General Physiology, 124: 9-25 [full paper]

  • Paz-Villagran, V., Save, E. and Poucet, B. (2004). Independent coding of connected environments by place cells. European Journal of Neuroscience, 20: 1379-1390 [full paper]

  • Poucet, B., Lenck-Santini, P.-P., Paz-Villagran, V. and Save E. (2003). Place cells, neocortex and spatial navigation: a short review. Journal of Physiology (Paris), 97: 537-546 [full paper]

  • Lenck-Santini, P.-P., Muller, R. U., Save, E. and Poucet, B. (2002). Relationships between place cell firing fields and navigational decisions by rats. Journal of Neuroscience, 22: 9035-9047 [full paper]

  • Paz-Villagran, V., Lenck-Santini, P.-P., Save, E. and Poucet, B. (2002). Properties of place cell firing after damage to the visual cortex. European Journal of Neuroscience, 16: 771-776 [full paper]

  • Cressant, A., Muller, R. U. and Poucet, B (2002). Remapping of place cell firing patterns after maze rotations. Experimental Brain Research, 143: 470-479 [full paper]

  • Lenck-Santini, P.-P., Save, E. and Poucet, B. (2001). Evidence for a relationship between place-cell spatial firing and spatial memory performance. Hippocampus, 11: 337-390 [full paper]

  • Poucet, B. and Save, E. (2001). Le chef d'orchestre de la mémoire spatiale. La Recherche, 344: 36-39 [abstract]

  • Save, E. and Poucet, B. (2000). Involvement of the hippocampus and associative parietal cortex in the use of proximal and distal landmarks for navigation. Behavioural Brain Research, 109: 195-206 [abstract]

  • Save, E., Nerad, L. and Poucet, B. (2000). Contribution of multiple sensory information to place field stability in hippocampal place cells. Hippocampus, 10: 64-76 [abstract]

  • Save, E. and Poucet, B. (2000). Hippocampal-parietal cortical interactions in spatial cognition. Hippocampus, 10: 491-499 [abstract]

  • Poucet, B., Save, E. and Lenck-Santini, P.-P. (2000). Sensory and memory properties of place cells firing. Reviews in the Neurosciences, 11: 95-111 [abstract]

  • Save, E., Cressant, A., Thinus-Blanc, C. and Poucet, B. (1998). Spatial firing of hippocampal place cells in blind rats. Journal of Neuroscience, 18: 1818-1826 [full paper]

  • Save, E., Poucet, B., Foreman, N. and Thinus-Blanc, C. (1998). The contribution of the associative parietal cortex and hippocampus to spatial processing in rodents. Psychobiology, 26: 153-161 [abstract]

  • Cressant, A., Muller, R. U. and Poucet, B. (1997). Failure of centrally placed objects to control the firing fields of hippocampal place cells. Journal of Neuroscience, 17: 2531-2542 [abstract]

  • Poucet, B (1997). Searching for the spatial correlates of unit firing in the prelimbic area of the rat medial frontal cortex. Behavioural Brain Research, 84: 151-159 [abstract]

  • Poucet, B. and Benhamou, S . (1997). The neuropsychology of spatial cognition in the rat. Critical Reviews in Neurobiology, 11: 101-120 [abstract]

  • Poucet, B. (1993). Spatial cognitive maps in animals: new hypotheses on their structure and neural mechanisms. Psychological Review, 100: 163-182 [abstract]


    • Some links
    (many other interesting places can be reached from these locations):
    Firing rate map of a hippocampal place cell recorded from a rat.
    This cell fired only when the animal was near the west edge of the recording environment. The small circles indicate the positions of three slender objects that were the only available spatial landmarks [From Cressant et al., J. Neuroscience, 17 (1997), 2531-2542].
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