Learned integration of visual, vestibular, and motor cues in multiple brain regions computes head direction during visually guided navigation

Hippocampus ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 2219-2237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bret Fortenberry ◽  
Anatoli Gorchetchnikov ◽  
Stephen Grossberg
Keyword(s):  
Brain Regions ◽  
Head Direction ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Visually Guided Navigation

scholarly journals Spatially structured inhibition defined by polarized parvalbumin interneuron axons promotes head direction tuning

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (25) ◽  
pp. eabg4693
Author(s):  
Yangfan Peng ◽  
Federico J. Barreda Tomas ◽  
Paul Pfeiffer ◽  
Moritz Drangmeister ◽  
Susanne Schreiber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Pyramidal Cells ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Head Direction ◽  
Spatial Connectivity ◽  
Parvalbumin Interneurons ◽  
Parvalbumin Interneuron ◽  
Network Simulations ◽  
Fast Spiking ◽  
Direction Tuning

In cortical microcircuits, it is generally assumed that fast-spiking parvalbumin interneurons mediate dense and nonselective inhibition. Some reports indicate sparse and structured inhibitory connectivity, but the computational relevance and the underlying spatial organization remain unresolved. In the rat superficial presubiculum, we find that inhibition by fast-spiking interneurons is organized in the form of a dominant super-reciprocal microcircuit motif where multiple pyramidal cells recurrently inhibit each other via a single interneuron. Multineuron recordings and subsequent 3D reconstructions and analysis further show that this nonrandom connectivity arises from an asymmetric, polarized morphology of fast-spiking interneuron axons, which individually cover different directions in the same volume. Network simulations assuming topographically organized input demonstrate that such polarized inhibition can improve head direction tuning of pyramidal cells in comparison to a “blanket of inhibition.” We propose that structured inhibition based on asymmetrical axons is an overarching spatial connectivity principle for tailored computation across brain regions.

scholarly journals Oscillatory synchrony between head direction cells recorded bilaterally in the anterodorsal thalamic nuclei

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (5) ◽  
pp. 1847-1852 ◽  
Author(s):  
William N. Butler ◽  
Jeffrey S. Taube
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
High Frequency Oscillation ◽  
Head Direction ◽  
Thalamic Nuclei ◽  
Head Direction Cells ◽  
Oscillatory Pattern ◽  
Cross Correlations ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
The Cross

The head direction (HD) circuit is a complex interconnected network of brain regions ranging from the brain stem to the cortex. Recent work found that HD cells corecorded ipsilaterally in the anterodorsal nucleus (ADN) of the thalamus displayed coordinated firing patterns. A high-frequency oscillation pattern (130–160 Hz) was visible in the cross-correlograms of these HD cell pairs. Spectral analysis further found that the power of this oscillation was greatest at 0 ms and decreased at greater lags, and demonstrated that there was greater synchrony between HD cells with similar preferred firing directions. Here, we demonstrate that the same high-frequency synchrony exists in HD cell pairs recorded contralaterally from one another in the bilateral ADN. When we examined the cross-correlograms of HD cells that were corecorded bilaterally, we observed the same high-frequency (~150- to 200-Hz) oscillatory relationship. The strength of this synchrony was similar to the synchrony seen in ipsilateral HD cell pairs, and the degree of synchrony in each cross-correlogram was dependent on the difference in tuning between the two cells. Additionally, the frequency rate of this oscillation appeared to be independent of the firing rates of the two cross-correlated cells. Taken together, these results imply that the left and right thalamic HD network are functionally related despite an absence of direct anatomical projections. However, anatomical tracing has found that each of the lateral mammillary nuclei (LMN) project bilaterally to both of the ADN, suggesting the LMN may be responsible for the functional connectivity observed between the two ADN. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study used bilateral recording electrodes to examine whether head direction cells recorded simultaneously in both the left and right thalamus show coordinated firing. Cross-correlations of the cells’ spike trains revealed a high-frequency oscillatory pattern similar to that seen in cross-correlations between pairs of ipsilateral head direction cells, demonstrating that the bilateral thalamic head direction signals may be part of a single unified network.

scholarly journals Multiple spatial codes for navigating 2-D semantic spaces

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Viganò ◽  
Valerio Rubino ◽  
Antonio Di Soccio ◽  
Marco Buiatti ◽  
Manuela Piazza
Keyword(s):  
Physical Space ◽  
Semantic Space ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Head Direction ◽  
Word Meanings ◽  
Neuronal Coding ◽  
Coding Schemes ◽  
Direction Of Movement ◽  
Human Participants ◽  
The Right

SummaryWhen mammals navigate in the physical environment, specific neurons such as grid-cells, head-direction cells, and place-cells activate to represent the navigable surface, the faced direction of movement, and the specific location the animal is visiting. Here we test the hypothesis that these codes are also activated when humans navigate abstract language-based representational spaces. Human participants learnt the meaning of novel words as arbitrary signs referring to specific artificial audiovisual objects varying in size and sound. Next, they were presented with sequences of words and asked to process them semantically while we recorded the activity of their brain using fMRI. Processing words in sequence was conceivable as movements in the semantic space, thus enabling us to systematically search for the different types of neuronal coding schemes known to represent space during navigation. By applying a combination of representational similarity and fMRI-adaptation analyses, we found evidence of i) a grid-like code in the right postero-medial entorhinal cortex, representing the general bidimensional layout of the novel semantic space; ii) a head-direction-like code in parietal cortex and striatum, representing the faced direction of movements between concepts; and iii) a place-like code in medial prefrontal, orbitofrontal, and mid cingulate cortices, representing the Euclidean distance between concepts. We also found evidence that the brain represents 1-dimensional distances between word meanings along individual sensory dimensions: implied size was encoded in secondary visual areas, and implied sound in Heschl’s gyrus/Insula. These results reveal that mentally navigating between 2D word meanings is supported by a network of brain regions hosting a variety of spatial codes, partially overlapping with those recruited for navigation in physical space.

Functional Asymmetries Revealed in Visually Guided Saccades: An fMRI Study

2009 ◽  
Vol 102 (5) ◽  
pp. 2994-3003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Petit ◽  
Laure Zago ◽  
Mathieu Vigneau ◽  
Frédéric Andersson ◽  
Fabrice Crivello ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Part ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Cerebral Dominance ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
Functional Lateralization ◽  
Eye Field ◽  
Middle Occipital Gyrus ◽  
The Right

Because eye movements are a fundamental tool for spatial exploration, we hypothesized that the neural bases of these movements in humans should be under right cerebral dominance, as already described for spatial attention. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging in 27 right-handed participants who alternated central fixation with either large or small visually guided saccades (VGS), equally performed in both directions. Hemispheric functional asymmetry was analyzed to identify whether brain regions showing VGS activation elicited hemispheric asymmetries. Hemispheric anatomical asymmetry was also estimated to assess its influence on the VGS functional lateralization. Right asymmetrical activations of a saccadic/attentional system were observed in the lateral frontal eye fields (FEF), the anterior part of the intraparietal sulcus (aIPS), the posterior third of the superior temporal sulcus (STS), the occipitotemporal junction (MT/V5 area), the middle occipital gyrus, and medially along the calcarine fissure (V1). The present rightward functional asymmetries were not related to differences in gray matter (GM) density/sulci positions between right and left hemispheres in the precentral, intraparietal, superior temporal, and extrastriate regions. Only V1 asymmetries were explained for almost 20% of the variance by a difference in the position of the right and left calcarine fissures. Left asymmetrical activations of a saccadic motor system were observed in the medial FEF and in the motor strip eye field along the Rolando sulcus. They were not explained by GM asymmetries. We suggest that the leftward saccadic motor asymmetry is part of a general dominance of the left motor cortex in right-handers, which must include an effect of sighting dominance. Our results demonstrate that, although bilateral by nature, the brain network involved in the execution of VGSs, irrespective of their direction, presented specific right and left asymmetries that were not related to anatomical differences in sulci positions.

scholarly journals Functional MRI of large scale activity in behaving mice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madalena S. Fonseca ◽  
Mattia G. Bergomi ◽  
Zachary F. Mainen ◽  
Noam Shemesh
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Distributed Processing ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Dynamic Interactions ◽  
Complex Behaviour ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Circuit Techniques

ABSTRACTBehaviour involves complex dynamic interactions across many brain regions. Detecting whole-brain activity in mice performing sophisticated behavioural tasks could facilitate insights into distributed processing underlying behaviour, guide local targeting, and help bridge the disparate spatial scales between rodent and human studies. Here, we present a comprehensive approach for recording brain-wide activity with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) compatible with a wide range of behavioural paradigms and neuroscience questions. We introduce hardware and procedural advances to allow multi-sensory, multi-action behavioural paradigms in the scanner. We identify signal artifacts arising from task-related body movements and propose novel strategies to suppress them. We validate and explore our approach in a 4-odour classical conditioning and a visually-guided operant task, illustrating how it can be used to extract information insofar intangible to rodent behaviour studies. Our work paves the way for future studies combining fMRI and local circuit techniques during complex behaviour to tackle multi-scale behavioural neuroscience questions.

scholarly journals Global and Local Head Direction Coding in the Human Brain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Shine ◽  
T. Wolbers
Keyword(s):  
Reference Frames ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Retrosplenial Cortex ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
Head Direction ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Local Environments ◽  
Human Participants ◽  
Global And Local

AbstractOrientation-specific head direction (HD) cells increase their firing rate to indicate one’s facing direction in the environment. Rodent studies suggest HD cells in distinct areas of thalamus and retrosplenial cortex (RSC) code either for global (relative to the wider environment) or local (e.g., room-specific) reference frames. To investigate whether similar neuroanatomical dissociations exist in humans, we reanalysed functional magnetic resonance imaging data in which participants learned the orientation of unique images in separate local environments relative to distinct global landmarks (Shine, Valdés-Herrera, Hegarty, & Wolbers, 2016). The environment layout meant that we could establish two separate multivariate analysis models in which the HD on individual trials was coded relative either to global (North, South, East, West) or local (Front, Back, Right, Left) reference frames. Examining the data first in key regions of interest (ROI) for HD coding, we replicated our previous results and found that global HD was decodable in the thalamus and precuneus; the RSC, however, was sensitive only to local HD. Extending recent findings in both humans and rodents, V1 was sensitive to both HD reference frames. Additional small volume-corrected searchlight analyses supported the ROI results and indicated that the anatomical locus of the thalamic global HD coding was located in the medial thalamus, bordering the anterior thalamus, a region critical for global HD coding in rodents. Our findings elucidate further the putative neural basis of HD coding in humans, and suggest that distinct brain regions code for different frames of reference in HD.Significance statementHead direction (HD) cells provide a neural signal as to one’s orientation in the environment. HD can be coded relative to global or local (e.g., room-specific) reference frames, with studies suggesting that distinct areas of thalamus and retrosplenial cortex (RSC) code for this information. We reanalysed fMRI data where human participants associated images with global HDs before undergoing scanning. The design enabled us to examine both global and local HD coding. Supporting previous findings, global HD was decodable in thalamus, however the RSC coded only for local HD. We found evidence also for both reference frames in V1. These findings elucidate the putative neural basis of HD coding in humans, with distinct brain regions coding for different HD reference frames.

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