Work

Distinct codes for environment structure and symmetry in postrhinal and retrosplenial cortices

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Complex sensory information arrives in the brain from an animal's first-person ('egocentric') perspective. However, animals can efficiently navigate as if referencing map-like ('allocentric') representations. The postrhinal (POR) and retrosplenial (RSC) cortices are thought to mediate between sensory input and internal maps, combining egocentric representations of physical cues with allocentric head direction (HD) information. Here we show that neurons in the POR and RSC of female Long-Evans rats are tuned to distinct but complementary aspects of local space. Egocentric bearing (EB) cells recorded in square and L-shaped environments reveal that RSC cells encode local geometric features, while POR cells encode a more global account of boundary geometry. Additionally, POR HD cells can incorporate egocentric information to fire in two opposite directions with two oppositely placed identical visual landmarks, while only a subset of RSC HD cells possess this property. Entorhinal grid and HD cells exhibit consistently allocentric spatial firing properties. These results reveal significant regional differences in the neural encoding of spatial reference frames.

Source: Nature Communications

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52315-4

Authors: Patrick A. LaChance, Michael E. Hasselmo

Institution: Boston University

Language: English

Topic: Memory and Neural Mechanisms

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $6,790