Document Detail


Background, but not foreground, spatial cues are taken as references for head direction responses by rat anterodorsal thalamus neurons.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  11425881     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Two populations of limbic neurons are likely neurophysiological substrates for cognitive operations required for spatial orientation and navigation: hippocampal pyramidal cells discharge selectively when the animal is in a certain place (the "firing field") in the environment, whereas head direction cells discharge when the animal orients its head in a specific, "preferred" direction. Cressant et al. (1997) showed that the firing fields of hippocampal place cells reorient relative to a group of three-dimensional objects only if these are at the periphery, but not the center of an enclosed platform. To test for corresponding responses in head direction cells, three objects were equally spaced along the periphery of a circular platform. Preferred directions were measured before and after the group of objects was rotated. (The rat was disoriented in total darkness between sessions). This was repeated in the presence or absence of a cylinder enclosing the platform. When the enclosure was present, the preferred directions of all 30 cells recorded shifted by the same angle as the objects. In the absence of the enclosure, the preferred directions did not follow the objects, remaining fixed relative to the room. These results provide a possible neurophysiological basis for observations from psychophysical experiments in humans that background, rather than foreground, cues are preferentially used for spatial orientation.
Authors:
M B Zugaro; A Berthoz; S I Wiener
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't    
Journal Detail:
Title:  The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience     Volume:  21     ISSN:  1529-2401     ISO Abbreviation:  J. Neurosci.     Publication Date:  2001 Jul 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2001-07-04     Completed Date:  2001-07-26     Revised Date:  2006-11-15    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  8102140     Medline TA:  J Neurosci     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  RC154     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Collège de France, Laboratoire de Physiologie de la Perception et de l'Action, 75231 Paris CEDEX 05, France.
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Animals
Anterior Thalamic Nuclei / physiology*
Cues*
Depth Perception / physiology
Electrodes, Implanted
Environment
Head / physiology
Male
Neurons / physiology*
Orientation / physiology*
Rats
Rats, Long-Evans
Rotation
Space Perception / physiology*
Spatial Behavior / physiology
Wakefulness

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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