  Spatial awareness in mammals is based on an internalized representation of
the environment, encoded by large networks of spiking neurons. While such
representations can last for a long time, the underlying neuronal network is
transient: neuronal cells die every day, synaptic connections appear and
disappear, the networks constantly change their architecture due to various
forms of synaptic and structural plasticity. How can a network with a dynamic
architecture encode a stable map of space? We address this question using a
physiological model of a "flickering" neuronal network and demonstrate that it
can maintain a robust topological representation of space.
