Hippocampal representations of alternative possibilities are flexibly generated to meet cognitive demands.

Hippocampal representations of alternative spatial possibilities are dynamically modulated to support adaptive decision-making, with distinct patterns linked to changing values and future choices.

• Why it matters: Understanding how the brain flexibly generates and updates representations of alternatives is crucial for revealing mechanisms underlying adaptive behavior in complex environments, a gap in current knowledge.
• What they did: The study recorded neural activity in the rat hippocampus during navigation in a complex patch-foraging task with shifting reward probabilities, analyzing how alternative locations are represented.
• The result: Findings show hippocampal representations of multiple alternatives are modulated based on their relative value and relevance to upcoming decisions, enabling flexible adaptation to changing cognitive demands.