In One Study Described in Your Textbook, Researchers Recorded the Firing

In one study described in your textbook, researchers recorded the firing of individual neurons in hippocampal cells that record spatial memory, while mice ran a maze to get a food reward, ate the reward, and then settled down for a relaxed grooming session. What conclusion did the researchers draw from the hippocampal cell firing patterns?

A) Mice were accessing their spatial memory while searching the maze.
B) While eating the reward, the mice were planning the route to escape the maze.
C) During the post-snack grooming session, the hippocampal cells were mentally "backtracking" the route to the reward.
D) Arousal interfered with the mice's ability to locate the food reward.