Memory encoding of object relocation in a hierarchical associative network with theta phase coding

Memory of the natural environment corresponds to the complex alignments of objects and changes in their locations. We hypothesized that the neural dynamics of theta phase precession observed in the rat hippocampus should contribute to the memory of object-place associations because of its high selectivity in synaptic plasticity of an on-line process. Our computer experiments have demonstrated that object-place associations can be instantaneously stored in the hippocampus as a hierarchical associative network, where object-relocation is stored by rewiring its part in the network. It indicates an advantage of theta phase coding in the memory of the natural environment.