Dataset Information

A neural code for egocentric spatial maps in the human medial temporal lobe.

ABSTRACT: Spatial navigation and memory rely on neural systems that encode places, distances, and directions in relation to the external world or relative to the navigating organism. Place, grid, and head-direction cells form key units of world-referenced, allocentric cognitive maps, but the neural basis of self-centered, egocentric representations remains poorly understood. Here, we used human single-neuron recordings during virtual spatial navigation tasks to identify neurons providing a neural code for egocentric spatial maps in the human brain. Consistent with previous observations in rodents, these neurons represented egocentric bearings toward reference points positioned throughout the environment. Egocentric bearing cells were abundant in the parahippocampal cortex and supported vectorial representations of egocentric space by also encoding distances toward reference points. Beyond navigation, the observed neurons showed activity increases during spatial and episodic memory recall, suggesting that egocentric bearing cells are not only relevant for navigation but also play a role in human memory.

SUBMITTER: Kunz L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8518022 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A neural code for egocentric spatial maps in the human medial temporal lobe.

Kunz Lukas L Brandt Armin A Reinacher Peter C PC Staresina Bernhard P BP Reifenstein Eric T ET Weidemann Christoph T CT Herweg Nora A NA Patel Ansh A Tsitsiklis Melina M Kempter Richard R Kahana Michael J MJ Schulze-Bonhage Andreas A Jacobs Joshua J

Neuron 20210714 17

Spatial navigation and memory rely on neural systems that encode places, distances, and directions in relation to the external world or relative to the navigating organism. Place, grid, and head-direction cells form key units of world-referenced, allocentric cognitive maps, but the neural basis of self-centered, egocentric representations remains poorly understood. Here, we used human single-neuron recordings during virtual spatial navigation tasks to identify neurons providing a neural code for ...[more]

PMID: 34265253

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Project description:Investigations into how individual neurons encode behavioral variables of interest have revealed specific representations in single neurons, such as place and object cells, as well as a wide range of cells with conjunctive encodings or mixed selectivity. However, as most experiments examine neural activity within individual tasks, it is currently unclear if and how neural representations change across different task contexts. Within this discussion, the medial temporal lobe is particularly salient, as it is known to be important for multiple behaviors including spatial navigation and memory, however the relationship between these functions is currently unclear. Here, to investigate how representations in single neurons vary across different task contexts in the MTL, we collected and analyzed single-neuron activity from human participants as they completed a paired-task session consisting of a passive-viewing visual working memory and a spatial navigation and memory task. Five patients contributed 22 paired-task sessions, which were spike sorted together to allow for the same putative single neurons to be compared between the different tasks. Within each task, we replicated concept-related activations in the working memory task, as well as target-location and serial-position responsive cells in the navigation task. When comparing neuronal activity between tasks, we first established that a significant number of neurons maintained the same kind of representation, responding to stimuli presentations across tasks. Further, we found cells that changed the nature of their representation across tasks, including a significant number of cells that were stimulus responsive in the working memory task that responded to serial position in the spatial task. Overall, our results support a flexible encoding of multiple, distinct aspects of different tasks by single neurons in the human MTL, whereby some individual neurons change the nature of their feature coding between task contexts.

Dataset Information

A neural code for egocentric spatial maps in the human medial temporal lobe.

Publications

A neural code for egocentric spatial maps in the human medial temporal lobe.

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