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Cited by 543Memory and Neural MechanismsSpatial Cognition and NavigationVestibular and auditory disorders

Head-direction cells in the rat posterior cortex: I. anatomical distribution and behavioral modulation

Chen, Longtang L., Lin, Lie-Huey, Green, Edward J., Barnes, Carol A., McNaughton, Bruce L.·1994·Experimental Brain Research
DOI 10.1007/bf00243212
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Abstract

We examined the behavioral modulation of head-directional information processing in neurons of the rat posterior cortices, including the medial prestriate (area Oc2M) and retrosplenial cortex (areas RSA and RSG). Single neurons were recorded in freely moving rats which were trained to perform a spatial working memory task on a radial-arm maze in a cue-controlled room. A dual-light-emitting diode (dual-LED) recording headstage, mounted on the animals' heads, was used to track head position and orientation. Planar modes of motion, such as turns, straight motion, and nonlocomotive states, were categorized using an objective scheme based upon the differential contributions of movement parameters, including linear and angular velocity of the head. Of 662 neurons recorded from the posterior cortices, 41 head-direction (HD) cells were identified based on the criterion of maintained directional bias in the absence of visual cues or in the dark. HD cells constituted 7 of 257 (2.7%) cells recorded in Oc2M, 26 of 311 (8.4%) cells in RSA, and 8 of 94 (8.5%) cells in RSG. Spatial tuning of HD cell firing was modulated by the animal's behaviors in some neurons. The behavioral modulation occurred either at the preferred direction or at all directions. Moreover, the behavioral selectivity was more robust for turns than straight motions, suggesting that the angular movements may significantly contribute to the head-directional processing. These behaviorally selective HD cells were observed most frequently in Oc2M (4/7, 57%), as only 5 of 26 (19%) of RSA cells and none of the RSG cells showed behavioral modulation. These data, taken together with the anatomical evidence for a cascade of projections from Oc2M to RSA and thence to RSG, suggest that there may be a simple association between movement and head-directionality that serves to transform the egocentric movement representation in the neocortex into an allocentric directional representation in the periallocortex.

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  • HD cells have been identified in the retrosplenial cortex of the rodent.

    “HD cells have been previously identified in the retrosplenial cortex of the rodent33, 34.”

    From Anchoring the neural compass: coding of local spatial reference frames in human medial parietal lobe (2014) · cites this paper as [34]

  • The adaptation effect is also consistent with view-specific single unit responses in humans or with the presence of head-direction cells which have been reported in retrosplenial cortex.

    “It is also consistent with view-specific single unit responses in humans18 or with the presence of head-direction cells19 which have been reported in retrosplenial cortex20.”

    From Evidence for grid cells in a human memory network (2010) · cites this paper as [20]

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Authors
Chen, L. L., Lin, L.-H., Green, E. J., Barnes, C. A., & McNaughton, B. L.
Affiliations
  • University of Colorado Boulder (US)
  • University of Arizona (US)
Corresponding author
Chen, Longtang L.
ORCID
Venue
Experimental Brain Research
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
1994-09
Volume
101
Issue
1
Pages
8-23
ISSN
  • 0014-4819 (ISSN-L)
  • 1432-1106
DOI
10.1007/bf00243212
OpenAlex
W2312623844
Cited by
543
References
63
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 32 · 2020: 31 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 27 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 17
FWCI
7.65
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations
  • Experimental Brain Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (1k02mh000897-01)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (MH 00897)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS-20331)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Automotive Engineering › Spatial Cognition and Navigation
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Vestibular and auditory disorders
Keywords
head direction cells, posterior cortex, retrosplenial cortex, spatial working memory, radial maze, behavioral modulation, head orientation, angular velocity, single-unit recording, rats
MeSH terms
Animals, Behavior, Animal, Cerebral Cortex, Head, Male, Neurons, Physiology, Rats, Inbred F344, Maze Learning, Rats

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