| Rat anterodorsal thalamic head direction neurons depend upon dynamic visual signals to select anchoring landmark cues. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 15233762 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Head direction cells, which are functionally coupled to 'place' cells of the hippocampus, a structure critically involved in spatial cognition, are likely neural substrates for the sense of direction. Here we studied the mechanism by which head direction cells are principally anchored to background visual cues [M.B. Zugaro et al. (2001) J. Neurosci., 21, RC154,1-5]. Anterodorsal thalamic head direction cells were recorded while the rat foraged on a small elevated platform in a 3-m diameter cylindrical enclosure. A large card was placed in the background, near the curtain, and a smaller card was placed in the foreground, near the platform. The cards were identically marked, proportionally dimensioned, subtended the same visual angles from the central vantage point and separated by 90 degrees. The rat was then disoriented in darkness, the cards were rotated by 90 degrees in opposite directions about the center and the rat was returned. Preferred directions followed either the background card, foreground card or midpoint between the two cards. In continuous lighting, preferred directions shifted to follow the background cue in most cases (30 of the 53 experiments, Batschelet V-test, P < 0.01). Stroboscopic illumination, which perturbs dynamic visual signals (e.g. motion parallax), blocked this selectivity. Head direction cells remained equally anchored to the background card, foreground card or configuration of the two cards (Watson test, P > 0.1). This shows that dynamic visual signals are critical in distinguishing typically more stable background cues which govern spatial neuronal responses and orientation behaviors. |
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Authors:
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Michaël B Zugaro; Angelo Arleo; Cyril Déjean; Eric Burguière; Mehdi Khamassi; Sidney I Wiener |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
Journal Detail:
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Title: The European journal of neuroscience Volume: 20 ISSN: 0953-816X ISO Abbreviation: Eur. J. Neurosci. Publication Date: 2004 Jul |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2004-07-05 Completed Date: 2004-09-30 Revised Date: 2006-11-15 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 8918110 Medline TA: Eur J Neurosci Country: France |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 530-6 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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CNRS-Collège de France, Laboratoire de Physiologie de la Perception et de l'Action, 11 place Marcelin Berthelot, 75231 Paris CEDEX 05, France. |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Animals Anterior Thalamic Nuclei / cytology*, physiology Behavior, Animal Cues* Electrophysiology Head / physiology Male Motion Perception / physiology* Neurons / physiology* Orientation / physiology Photic Stimulation / methods Rats Rats, Long-Evans Space Perception / physiology* |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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