An Efficient Coding Theory for a Dynamic Trajectory Predicts non-Uniform Allocation of Grid Cells to Modules in the Entorhinal Cortex

Grid cells in the entorhinal cortex encode the position of an animal in its environment using spatially periodic tuning curves of varying periodicity. Recent experiments established that these cells are functionally organized in discrete modules with uniform grid spacing. Here we develop a theory for efficient coding of position, which takes into account the temporal statistics of the animal's motion. The theory predicts a sharp decrease of module population sizes with grid spacing, in agreement with the trends seen in the experimental data. We identify a simple scheme for readout of the grid cell code by neural circuitry, that can match in accuracy the optimal Bayesian decoder of the spikes. This readout scheme requires persistence over varying timescales, ranging from ~1ms to ~1s, depending on the grid cell module. Our results suggest that the brain employs an efficient representation of position which takes advantage of the spatiotemporal statistics of the encoded variable, in similarity to the principles that govern early sensory coding.

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