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Lian Y, LaChance PA, Malmberg S, Hasselmo ME, Burkitt AN. Distinct cortical spatial representations learned along disparate visual pathways. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.10.10.617687. [PMID: 39416183 PMCID: PMC11482955 DOI: 10.1101/2024.10.10.617687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2024]
Abstract
Recent experimental studies have discovered diverse spatial properties, such as head direction tuning and egocentric tuning, of neurons in the postrhinal cortex (POR) and revealed how the POR spatial representation is distinct from the retrosplenial cortex (RSC). However, how these spatial properties of POR neurons emerge is unknown, and the cause of distinct cortical spatial representations is also unclear. Here, we build a learning model of POR based on the pathway from the superior colliculus (SC) that has been shown to have motion processing within the visual input. Our designed SC-POR model demonstrates that diverse spatial properties of POR neurons can emerge from a learning process based on visual input that incorporates motion processing. Moreover, combining SC-POR model with our previously proposed V1-RSC model, we show that distinct cortical spatial representations in POR and RSC can be learnt along disparate visual pathways (originating in SC and V1), suggesting that the varying features encoded in different visual pathways contribute to the distinct spatial properties in downstream cortical areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanbo Lian
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Patrick A. LaChance
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Samantha Malmberg
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Michael E. Hasselmo
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Anthony N. Burkitt
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
- Graeme Clark Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
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2
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Street JS, Jeffery KJ. The dorsal thalamic lateral geniculate nucleus is required for visual control of head direction cell firing direction in rats. J Physiol 2024; 602:5247-5267. [PMID: 39235958 DOI: 10.1113/jp286868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 08/13/2024] [Indexed: 09/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Head direction (HD) neurons, signalling facing direction, generate a signal that is primarily anchored to the outside world by visual inputs. We investigated the route for visual landmark information into the HD system in rats. There are two candidates: an evolutionarily older, larger subcortical retino-tectal pathway and a more recently evolved, smaller cortical retino-geniculo-striate pathway. We disrupted the cortical pathway by lesioning the dorsal lateral geniculate thalamic nuclei bilaterally, and recorded HD cells in the postsubicular cortex as rats foraged in a visual-cue-controlled enclosure. In lesioned rats we found the expected number of postsubicular HD cells. Although directional tuning curves were broader across a trial, this was attributable to the increased instability of otherwise normal-width tuning curves. Tuning curves were also poorly responsive to polarizing visual landmarks and did not distinguish cues based on their visual pattern. Thus, the retino-geniculo-striate pathway is not crucial for the generation of an underlying, tightly tuned directional signal but does provide the main route for vision-based anchoring of the signal to the outside world, even when visual cues are high in contrast and low in detail. KEY POINTS: Head direction (HD) cells indicate the facing direction of the head, using visual landmarks to distinguish directions. In rats, we investigated whether this visual information is routed through the thalamus to the visual cortex or arrives via the superior colliculus, which is a phylogenetically older and (in rodents) larger pathway. We lesioned the thalamic dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) in rats and recorded the responsiveness of cortical HD cells to visual cues. We found that cortical HD cells had normal tuning curves, but these were slightly more unstable during a trial. Most notably, HD cells in dLGN-lesioned animals showed little ability to distinguish highly distinct cues and none to distinguish more similar cues. These results suggest that directional processing of visual landmarks in mammals requires the geniculo-cortical pathway, which raises questions about when and how visual directional landmark processing appeared during evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- James S Street
- Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Kate J Jeffery
- School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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3
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Li J, Aoi MC, Miller CT. Representing the dynamics of natural marmoset vocal behaviors in frontal cortex. Neuron 2024:S0896-6273(24)00644-5. [PMID: 39317185 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 07/26/2024] [Accepted: 08/28/2024] [Indexed: 09/26/2024]
Abstract
Here, we tested the respective contributions of primate premotor and prefrontal cortex to support vocal behavior. We applied a model-based generalized linear model (GLM) analysis that better accounts for the inherent variance in natural, continuous behaviors to characterize the activity of neurons throughout the frontal cortex as freely moving marmosets engaged in conversational exchanges. While analyses revealed functional clusters of neural activity related to the different processes involved in the vocal behavior, these clusters did not map to subfields of prefrontal or premotor cortex, as has been observed in more conventional task-based paradigms. Our results suggest a distributed functional organization for the myriad neural mechanisms underlying natural social interactions and have implications for our concepts of the role that frontal cortex plays in governing ethological behaviors in primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingwen Li
- Cortical Systems & Behavior Lab, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
| | - Mikio C Aoi
- Department of Neurobiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Cory T Miller
- Cortical Systems & Behavior Lab, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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4
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LaChance PA, Hasselmo ME. Distinct codes for environment structure and symmetry in postrhinal and retrosplenial cortices. Nat Commun 2024; 15:8025. [PMID: 39271679 PMCID: PMC11399390 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52315-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 09/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024] Open
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick A LaChance
- Center for Systems Neuroscience and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Michael E Hasselmo
- Center for Systems Neuroscience and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
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5
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Balcerek E, Włodkowska U, Czajkowski R. FOS mapping reveals two complementary circuits for spatial navigation in mouse. Sci Rep 2024; 14:21252. [PMID: 39261637 PMCID: PMC11391074 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-72272-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2024] [Indexed: 09/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Here, we show that during continuous navigation in a dynamic external environment, mice are capable of developing a foraging strategy based exclusively on changing distal (allothetic) information and that this process may involve two alternative components of the spatial memory circuit: the hippocampus and retrosplenial cortex. To this end, we designed a novel custom apparatus and implemented a behavioral protocol based on the figure-8-maze paradigm with two goal locations associated with distinct contexts. We assessed whether mice are able to learn to retrieve a sequence of rewards guided exclusively by the changing context. We found out that training mice in the apparatus leads to change in strategy from the internal tendency to alternate into navigation based exclusively on visual information. This effect could be achieved using two different training protocols: prolonged alternation training, or a flexible protocol with unpredictable turn succession. Based on the c-FOS mapping we also provide evidence of opposing levels of engagement of hippocampus and retrosplenial cortex after training of mice in these two different regimens. This supports the hypothesis of the existence of parallel circuits guiding spatial navigation, one based on the well-described hippocampal representation, and another, RSC-dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edyta Balcerek
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warszawa, Poland
| | - Urszula Włodkowska
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warszawa, Poland
| | - Rafał Czajkowski
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warszawa, Poland.
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6
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Dubanet O, Higley MJ. Retrosplenial inputs drive visual representations in the medial entorhinal cortex. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114470. [PMID: 38985682 PMCID: PMC11300029 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The importance of visual cues for navigation and goal-directed behavior is well established, although the neural mechanisms supporting sensory representations in navigational circuits are largely unknown. Navigation is fundamentally dependent on the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC), which receives direct projections from neocortical visual areas, including the retrosplenial cortex (RSC). Here, we perform high-density recordings of MEC neurons in awake, head-fixed mice presented with simple visual stimuli and assess the dynamics of sensory-evoked activity. We find that a large fraction of neurons exhibit robust responses to visual input. Visually responsive cells are located primarily in layer 3 of the dorsal MEC and can be separated into subgroups based on functional and molecular properties. Furthermore, optogenetic suppression of RSC afferents within the MEC strongly reduces visual responses. Overall, our results demonstrate that the MEC can encode simple visual cues in the environment that may contribute to neural representations of location necessary for accurate navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Dubanet
- Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Michael J Higley
- Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
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7
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Subramanian DL, Miller AMP, Smith DM. A comparison of hippocampal and retrosplenial cortical spatial and contextual firing patterns. Hippocampus 2024; 34:357-377. [PMID: 38770779 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
The hippocampus (HPC) and retrosplenial cortex (RSC) are key components of the brain's memory and navigation systems. Lesions of either region produce profound deficits in spatial cognition and HPC neurons exhibit well-known spatial firing patterns (place fields). Recent studies have also identified an array of navigation-related firing patterns in the RSC. However, there has been little work comparing the response properties and information coding mechanisms of these two brain regions. In the present study, we examined the firing patterns of HPC and RSC neurons in two tasks which are commonly used to study spatial cognition in rodents, open field foraging with an environmental context manipulation and continuous T-maze alternation. We found striking similarities in the kinds of spatial and contextual information encoded by these two brain regions. Neurons in both regions carried information about the rat's current spatial location, trajectories and goal locations, and both regions reliably differentiated the contexts. However, we also found several key differences. For example, information about head direction was a prominent component of RSC representations but was only weakly encoded in the HPC. The two regions also used different coding schemes, even when they encoded the same kind of information. As expected, the HPC employed a sparse coding scheme characterized by compact, high contrast place fields, and information about spatial location was the dominant component of HPC representations. RSC firing patterns were more consistent with a distributed coding scheme. Instead of compact place fields, RSC neurons exhibited broad, but reliable, spatial and directional tuning, and they typically carried information about multiple navigational variables. The observed similarities highlight the closely related functions of the HPC and RSC, whereas the differences in information types and coding schemes suggest that these two regions likely make somewhat different contributions to spatial cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Adam M P Miller
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - David M Smith
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
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Li J, Aoi MC, Miller CT. Representing the dynamics of natural marmoset vocal behaviors in frontal cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.17.585423. [PMID: 38559173 PMCID: PMC10979968 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.17.585423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Here we tested the respective contributions of primate premotor and prefrontal cortex to support vocal behavior. We applied a model-based GLM analysis that better accounts for the inherent variance in natural, continuous behaviors to characterize the activity of neurons throughout frontal cortex as freely-moving marmosets engaged in conversational exchanges. While analyses revealed functional clusters of neural activity related to the different processes involved in the vocal behavior, these clusters did not map to subfields of prefrontal or premotor cortex, as has been observed in more conventional task-based paradigms. Our results suggest a distributed functional organization for the myriad neural mechanisms underlying natural social interactions and has implications for our concepts of the role that frontal cortex plays in governing ethological behaviors in primates.
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9
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van der Goes MSH, Voigts J, Newman JP, Toloza EHS, Brown NJ, Murugan P, Harnett MT. Coordinated head direction representations in mouse anterodorsal thalamic nucleus and retrosplenial cortex. eLife 2024; 13:e82952. [PMID: 38470232 PMCID: PMC10932540 DOI: 10.7554/elife.82952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The sense of direction is critical for survival in changing environments and relies on flexibly integrating self-motion signals with external sensory cues. While the anatomical substrates involved in head direction (HD) coding are well known, the mechanisms by which visual information updates HD representations remain poorly understood. Retrosplenial cortex (RSC) plays a key role in forming coherent representations of space in mammals and it encodes a variety of navigational variables, including HD. Here, we use simultaneous two-area tetrode recording to show that RSC HD representation is nearly synchronous with that of the anterodorsal nucleus of thalamus (ADn), the obligatory thalamic relay of HD to cortex, during rotation of a prominent visual cue. Moreover, coordination of HD representations in the two regions is maintained during darkness. We further show that anatomical and functional connectivity are consistent with a strong feedforward drive of HD information from ADn to RSC, with anatomically restricted corticothalamic feedback. Together, our results indicate a concerted global HD reference update across cortex and thalamus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Sophie H van der Goes
- Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Jakob Voigts
- Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
- Open-Ephys IncAtlantaUnited States
- HHMI Janelia Research CampusAshburnUnited States
| | - Jonathan P Newman
- Open-Ephys IncAtlantaUnited States
- Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Enrique HS Toloza
- Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
- Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Norma J Brown
- Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Pranav Murugan
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Mark T Harnett
- Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
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10
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Zwergal A, Grabova D, Schöberl F. Vestibular contribution to spatial orientation and navigation. Curr Opin Neurol 2024; 37:52-58. [PMID: 38010039 PMCID: PMC10779452 DOI: 10.1097/wco.0000000000001230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The vestibular system provides three-dimensional idiothetic cues for updating of one's position in space during head and body movement. Ascending vestibular signals reach entorhinal and hippocampal networks via head-direction pathways, where they converge with multisensory information to tune the place and grid cell code. RECENT FINDINGS Animal models have provided insight to neurobiological consequences of vestibular lesions for cerebral networks controlling spatial cognition. Multimodal cerebral imaging combined with behavioural testing of spatial orientation and navigation performance as well as strategy in the last years helped to decipher vestibular-cognitive interactions also in humans. SUMMARY This review will update the current knowledge on the anatomical and cellular basis of vestibular contributions to spatial orientation and navigation from a translational perspective (animal and human studies), delineate the behavioural and functional consequences of different vestibular pathologies on these cognitive domains, and will lastly speculate on a potential role of vestibular dysfunction for cognitive aging and impeding cognitive impairment in analogy to the well known effects of hearing loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Zwergal
- German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders (DSGZ), LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich
- Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Denis Grabova
- German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders (DSGZ), LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich
| | - Florian Schöberl
- German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders (DSGZ), LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich
- Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
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11
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Cano-Ferrer X, Tran-Van-Minh A, Rancz E. RPM: An open-source Rotation Platform for open- and closed-loop vestibular stimulation in head-fixed Mice. J Neurosci Methods 2024; 401:110002. [PMID: 37925080 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2023.110002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023]
Abstract
Head fixation allows the recording and presentation of controlled stimuli and is used to study neural processes underlying spatial navigation. However, it disrupts the head direction system because of the lack of vestibular stimulation. To overcome this limitation, we developed a novel rotation platform which can be driven by the experimenter (open-loop) or by animal movement (closed-loop). The platform is modular, affordable, easy to build and open source. Additional modules presented here include cameras for monitoring eye movements, visual virtual reality, and a micro-manipulator for positioning various probes for recording or optical interference. We demonstrate the utility of the platform by recording eye movements and showing the robust activation of head-direction cells. This novel experimental apparatus combines the advantages of head fixation and intact vestibular activity in the horizontal plane. The open-loop mode can be used to study e.g., vestibular sensory representation and processing, while the closed-loop mode allows animals to navigate in rotational space, providing a better substrate for 2-D navigation in virtual environments. The full build documentation is maintained at https://ranczlab.github.io/RPM/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Cano-Ferrer
- The Francis Crick Institute, Cortical Circuits Laboratory, London NW1 1AT, UK; The Francis Crick Institute, Making Science and Technology Platform, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | | | - Ede Rancz
- The Francis Crick Institute, Cortical Circuits Laboratory, London NW1 1AT, UK; INMED, INSERM, Aix-Marseille Université, France.
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12
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Pinke D, Issa JB, Dara GA, Dobos G, Dombeck DA. Full field-of-view virtual reality goggles for mice. Neuron 2023; 111:3941-3952.e6. [PMID: 38070501 PMCID: PMC10841834 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Visual virtual reality (VR) systems for head-fixed mice offer advantages over real-world studies for investigating the neural circuitry underlying behavior. However, current VR approaches do not fully cover the visual field of view of mice, do not stereoscopically illuminate the binocular zone, and leave the lab frame visible. To overcome these limitations, we developed iMRSIV (Miniature Rodent Stereo Illumination VR)-VR goggles for mice. Our system is compact, separately illuminates each eye for stereo vision, and provides each eye with an ∼180° field of view, thus excluding the lab frame while accommodating saccades. Mice using iMRSIV while navigating engaged in virtual behaviors more quickly than in a current monitor-based system and displayed freezing and fleeing reactions to overhead looming stimulation. Using iMRSIV with two-photon functional imaging, we found large populations of hippocampal place cells during virtual navigation, global remapping during environment changes, and unique responses of place cell ensembles to overhead looming stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domonkos Pinke
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - John B Issa
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Gabriel A Dara
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Gergely Dobos
- 360world Ltd, Sümegvár köz 9, 1118 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Daniel A Dombeck
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
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13
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Beetz MJ, El Jundi B. The neurobiology of the Monarch butterfly compass. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 60:101109. [PMID: 37660836 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2023.101109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) have become a superb model system to unravel how the tiny insect brain controls an impressive navigation behavior, such as long-distance migration. Moreover, the ability to compare the neural substrate between migratory and nonmigratory Monarch butterflies provides us with an attractive model to specifically study how the insect brain is adapted for migration. We here review our current progress on the neural substrate of spatial orientation in Monarch butterflies and how their spectacular annual migration might be controlled by their brain. We also discuss open research questions, the answers to which will provide important missing pieces to obtain a full picture of insect migration - from the perception of orientation cues to the neural control of migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Jerome Beetz
- Zoology II, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Basil El Jundi
- Animal Physiology, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
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14
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Dubanet O, Higley MJ. Retrosplenial inputs drive diverse visual representations in the medial entorhinal cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.03.560642. [PMID: 37873152 PMCID: PMC10592898 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.03.560642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
The ability of rodents to use visual cues for successful navigation and goal-directed behavior has been long appreciated, although the neural mechanisms supporting sensory representations in navigational circuits are largely unknown. Navigation is fundamentally dependent on the hippocampus and closely connected entorhinal cortex, whose neurons exhibit characteristic firing patterns corresponding to the animal's location. The medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) receives direct projections from sensory areas in the neocortex, suggesting the ability to encode sensory information. To examine this possibility, we performed high-density recordings of MEC neurons in awake, head-fixed mice presented with simple visual stimuli and assessed the dynamics of sensory-evoked activity. We found a large fraction of neurons exhibited robust responses to visual input that shaped activity relative to ongoing network dynamics. Visually responsive cells could be separated into subgroups based on functional and molecular properties within deep layers of the dorsal MEC, suggesting diverse populations within the MEC contribute to sensory encoding. We then showed that optogenetic suppression of retrosplenial cortex afferents within the MEC strongly reduced visual responses. Overall, our results demonstrate the the MEC can encode simple visual cues in the environment that can contribute to neural representations of location necessary for accurate navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Dubanet
- Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Michael J Higley
- Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
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