File:Rapid-parallel-path-planning-by-propagating-wavefronts-of-spiking-neural-activity-Movie1.ogv

English: Path planning and navigation in a network of place cells using a wavefront expansion concept. This movie is related to Figure 3 and illustrates two processes: (1) path planning and (2) navigation. In the first phase—path planning—a wavefront is initiated at the place cells representing the navigational target B. The wavefront propagating through the network modifies synaptic connections and creates a SVF with a single attractor at the location B. Red dots are the action potentials. A simulated animal is initially located at point A. Activation of the place cells at A through the passing wavefront triggers the second phase of the process—the navigation. In this phase, the place cells with receptive fields covering the current animal location receive strong excitatory currents from sensory inputs. These cells are indicated in the movie by green dots. The current animal location is denoted by the yellow circle. The stimulated cells fire and in turn excite neighboring cells. Due to the SVF the active cells excite most strongly these neighbors that are located along an optimal pathway toward the target. A simple motor control algorithm (Equations 10, 11) is used to move the animal toward the locations represented by the firing cells, up to the target location.