Why can a place cell fire in different locations in different environments?

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Patient H.M. and short-term memory loss explained — hippocampus Learn about Henry Molaison (better known as “patient H.M.”), whose short-term memory loss following a lobotomy helped researchers to understand how brain structures are related to brain function.

A place cell can fire in different locations across various environments due to a property known as remapping.1

When an animal moves between different environments, the location-specific firing of these neurons is context-dependent. Sensory information—such as the colors, textures, and boundaries of a new space—plays a critical role in this process. Consequently, a place cell that fires in one specific location in a primary environment may fire in an entirely different location, or not at all, when the animal is placed in a new environment. This flexibility allows the hippocampus to create distinct spatial maps for different settings, helping the brain represent and navigate unique surroundings effectively.1