Spatial Map: Through the Lens of Behavioral Tag and Capture

One of the fundamental attributes of memory is the synaptic plasticity change that happens at the cellular level and thereby behavioral change at the system level. The discovery of spatially tuned cells such as place cells and grid cells involved in modulating spatial memory contributed to the comprehension of how the brain controls navigation. Research studies over the years have pointed to the understanding that the hippocampal-entorhinal system encodes much of it resulting in the formation of a cognitive/spatial map. Such a spatial map allows for representations of relations, in terms of the range and directions between locations and in discerning what exists where. This chapter discusses the relevance of behavioral tagging, wherein the formation of a neural tag as a result of a weak memory could possibly result in the formation of longer-lasting associative spatial memories by utilizing plasticity-related proteins orchestrated by spatially modulated cells. It also explores the possible mechanisms through which such an orchestration could be made possible through memory allocation, neuromodulation, metaplasticity, synaptic clustering and the like.