Torodial topology of grid cells & Vortical cognition

This year a study was published in the journal Nature by Richard J. Gardner (et al) titled Toroidal topology of population activity in grid cells. In this paper the authors share the results of experiments mapping grid cells; neurons that fire in connection with an animal's position in space. What they found is that if we map this motion pattern's topology, what emerges is a torus structure. This video by Artem Kirsanov presents a wonderful short explanation of the findings:

These experiments conform to CANN models of neural networks.

How does this relate to Vortical cognition?

This is an important finding, as it paves the way for the possible experimental testing of what Model 2 calls Vortical ("Ni/Se") cognition. Below is a visual representation of the structure of Vortical cognition in Model 2:

This torodial topology representation is nearly identical to the vortical map representation, which is also a representation of spatiotemporal navigation since, in Model 2, the P functions are spatiotemporal in nature, meaning they deal with positions across space and time. However, I extend the concept to abstract 'navigation' of information, not just physical. And it's in this subtle point that Gardner's findings have great significance for CT.

If spatiotemporal navigation really is toroidal in nature, then that would be true as a general fact of mammals. But humans developed abstraction abilities atop of a mammalian structure, repurposing existing circuits to the benefit of infinite semantic recursion. A direct line can be drawn from this fact to Vortical psychology, if we assume that when humans evolved to indefinitely abstract their information, abstractions were also "spatially" mapped relative to each other (such as in latent space maps).  If humanity's equivalent to latent space maps also makes use of this existing coordinate system, then these conceptual-yet-spatial bits of data could have also evolved to follow this toroidal shape, causing "conceptual torodial shapes" to form (i.e. cyclical conceptual trendlines or events, karmic reasoning, and holistic reasoning - since a torus has no start or end). In essence, vortical cognition may be seen as an inevitable outgrowth of mammalian torodial topology and human abstraction.

How do we know for sure?

This is of course speculative, and it would require conducting experiments to see how human concepts (abstract objects) are connected across these grid cells, and whether ideas themselves have been spatially mapped with a certain torodial structure. It would also require checking to see whether this pattern is at least stronger in those with a Grounded vultology, and why exactly it'd be different in those with a Suspended vultology.

Many questions remain, however, Gardner's paper provides at least the basis for a coherent hypothesis for testing Vortical cognition, that is rooted in modern neuroscience. In my upcoming works, I will be sharing more detailed thoughts on how to construct experiments for testing this and other elements of Model 2 cognition.