Cited by 1,809Memory and Neural MechanismsSpatial Cognition and NavigationVestibular and auditory disorders

Head-direction cells recorded from the postsubiculum in freely moving rats. I. Description and quantitative analysis

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Taube, JS, Muller, RU, Ranck, JB·1990·The Journal of Neuroscience

Abstract

This paper is a study of the behavioral and spatial firing correlates of neurons in the rat postsubiculum. Recordings were made from postsubicular neurons as rats moved freely throughout a cylindrical chamber, where the major cue for orientation was a white card taped to the inside wall. An automatic video/computer system monitored cell discharge while simultaneously tracking the position of 2 colored light emitting diodes (LEDs) secured to the animal's head. The animal's location was calculated from the position of one of the LEDs and head direction in the horizontal plane calculated from the relative positions of the 2 LEDs. Approximately 26% of the cells were classified as head-direction cells because they discharged as a function of the animal's head direction in the horizontal plane, independent of the animal's behavior, location, or trunk position. For each head-direction cell, vectors drawn in the direction of maximal firing were parallel throughout the recording chamber and did not converge toward a single point. Plots of firing rate versus head direction showed that each firing-rate/head-direction function was adequately described by a triangular function. Each cell's maximum firing rate occurred at only one (the preferred) head direction; firing rates at head directions on either side of the preferred direction decreased linearly with angular deviation from the preferred direction. Results from 24 head-direction cells in 7 animals showed an equal distribution of preferred firing directions over a 360 degrees angle. The peak firing rate of head-direction cells varied from 5 to 115 spikes/sec (mean: 35). The range of head-direction angles over which discharge was elevated (directional firing range) was usually about 90 degrees, with little, if any, discharge at head directions outside this range. Quantitative analysis showed the location of the animal within the cylinder had minimal effect on directional cell firing. For each head-direction cell, the preferred direction, peak firing rate, and directional firing range remained stable for days. These results identify a new cell type that signals the animal's head direction in its environment.

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Crossref · 10.1523/jneurosci.10-02-00420.1990

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1 of 1 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Boundary cells respond to environmental edges.

    “Subsequent research identified other spatially tuned cells-such as grid cells, which encode grid-like patterns; head-direction cells, which signal the direction of gaze; and boundary cells, which respond to environmental edges [46-48].”
  • Head-direction cells signal the direction of gaze.

    “Subsequent research identified other spatially tuned cells-such as grid cells, which encode grid-like patterns; head-direction cells, which signal the direction of gaze; and boundary cells, which respond to environmental edges [46-48].”
  • Grid cells encode grid-like patterns.

    “Subsequent research identified other spatially tuned cells-such as grid cells, which encode grid-like patterns; head-direction cells, which signal the direction of gaze; and boundary cells, which respond to environmental edges [46-48].”
  • Mammalian extra-hippocampal cortical areas contain functionally specialized neurons such as head direction cells, border cells, and grid cells that likely encode relevant spatial information in egocentric coordinates.

    “Mammalian extra-hippocampal cortical areas contain a variety of functionally specialized neurons with presumably distinct roles in the representation of space, i.e., “head direction cells”, “border cells”, and “grid cells”, that likely encode relevant spatial information in egocentric coordinates [72,193,194,195,196].”

    From Spatial Cognition in Teleost Fish: Strategies and Mechanisms (2021) · cites this paper as [196]

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Authors
Taube, J., Muller, R., & Ranck, J.
Affiliations
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University (US)
Venue
The Journal of Neuroscience
Published
1990-02-01
Volume
10
Issue
2
Pages
420-435
ISSN
  • 0270-6474 (ISSN-L)
  • 1529-2401
OpenAlex
W2167403166
Cited by
1,809
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 64 · 2025: 99 · 2024: 120 · 2023: 85 · 2022: 95 · 2021: 83 · 2020: 89 · 2019: 84 · 2018: 97 · 2017: 77 · 2016: 56 · 2015: 78 · 2014: 75 · 2013: 52 · 2012: 45
FWCI
6.48
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (5t32ns007117-13, 5r01ns014497-16, 20686)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS14497, NS07117, NS 20686, R01NS020686)
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, postsubiculum, spatial firing patterns, firing rate, freely moving rats, head tracking, hippocampal formation
MeSH terms
Animals, Electrophysiology, Female, Head, Hippocampus, Neurons, Orientation, Rats, Inbred Strains, Time Factors, Rats

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