Abstract
Spatial learning and navigation depend on neural representations of location and direction within the environment. These representations, encoded by place cells and head direction (HD) cells, respectively, are dominantly controlled by visual cues, but require input from the vestibular system. Vestibular signals play an important role in forming spatial representations in both visual and non-visual environments, but the details of this vestibular contribution are not fully understood. Here, we review the role of the vestibular system in generating various spatial signals in rodents, focusing primarily on HD cells. We also examine the vestibular system’s role in navigation and the possible pathways by which vestibular information is conveyed to higher navigation centers.
Highlights
We examine the vestibular system’s role in navigation and the possible pathways by which vestibular information is conveyed to higher navigation centers
These results suggest that the head direction (HD) signal is critical for accurate navigation in situations that require a flexible representation of space, such as when using a cognitive mapping strategy, but not in situations that utilize habit-like associative spatial learning
Overall, we currently have considerable evidence that the vestibular system contributes to spatial signals and navigation
Summary
Edited by: Stephane Besnard, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, France. These idiothetic cues include neural representations of the rate of linear movement through the environment, as well as the rate and direction (clockwise vs counter-clockwise) the head is turning (McNaughton et al, 1989; Bassett and Taube, 2001; Sharp et al, 2001; Jacobs et al, 2010) Some of this information appears to originate in the vestibular system, and recent studies provide insight into the role of vestibular signals in spatial functions. Inertial motion influenced the activity of approximately two-thirds of the dorsal medial superior temporal area (MSTd)
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