Allocentric and egocentric spatial representations coexist in rodent medial entorhinal cortex
Abstract Successful navigation relies on reciprocal transformations between spatial representations in world-centered (allocentric) and self-centered (egocentric) frames of reference. The neural basis of allocentric spatial representations has been extensively investigated with grid, border, and hea...
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| Format: | Article |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54699-9 |
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| _version_ | 1841559199268470784 |
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| author | Xiaoyang Long Daniel Bush Bin Deng Neil Burgess Sheng-Jia Zhang |
| author_facet | Xiaoyang Long Daniel Bush Bin Deng Neil Burgess Sheng-Jia Zhang |
| author_sort | Xiaoyang Long |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Successful navigation relies on reciprocal transformations between spatial representations in world-centered (allocentric) and self-centered (egocentric) frames of reference. The neural basis of allocentric spatial representations has been extensively investigated with grid, border, and head-direction cells in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) forming key components of a ‘cognitive map’. Recently, egocentric spatial representations have also been identified in several brain regions, but evidence for the coexistence of neurons encoding spatial variables in each reference frame within MEC is so far lacking. Here, we report that allocentric and egocentric spatial representations are both present in rodent MEC, with neurons in deeper layers representing the egocentric bearing and distance towards the geometric center and / or boundaries of an environment. These results demonstrate a unity of spatial coding that can guide efficient navigation and suggest that MEC may be one locus of interactions between egocentric and allocentric spatial representations in the mammalian brain. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2eea5979515d4b1db520e261a6fd1a0f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-2eea5979515d4b1db520e261a6fd1a0f2025-01-05T12:40:33ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116111810.1038/s41467-024-54699-9Allocentric and egocentric spatial representations coexist in rodent medial entorhinal cortexXiaoyang Long0Daniel Bush1Bin Deng2Neil Burgess3Sheng-Jia Zhang4Department of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical UniversityUCL Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College LondonDepartment of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical UniversityUCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College LondonDepartment of Neurosurgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical UniversityAbstract Successful navigation relies on reciprocal transformations between spatial representations in world-centered (allocentric) and self-centered (egocentric) frames of reference. The neural basis of allocentric spatial representations has been extensively investigated with grid, border, and head-direction cells in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) forming key components of a ‘cognitive map’. Recently, egocentric spatial representations have also been identified in several brain regions, but evidence for the coexistence of neurons encoding spatial variables in each reference frame within MEC is so far lacking. Here, we report that allocentric and egocentric spatial representations are both present in rodent MEC, with neurons in deeper layers representing the egocentric bearing and distance towards the geometric center and / or boundaries of an environment. These results demonstrate a unity of spatial coding that can guide efficient navigation and suggest that MEC may be one locus of interactions between egocentric and allocentric spatial representations in the mammalian brain.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54699-9 |
| spellingShingle | Xiaoyang Long Daniel Bush Bin Deng Neil Burgess Sheng-Jia Zhang Allocentric and egocentric spatial representations coexist in rodent medial entorhinal cortex Nature Communications |
| title | Allocentric and egocentric spatial representations coexist in rodent medial entorhinal cortex |
| title_full | Allocentric and egocentric spatial representations coexist in rodent medial entorhinal cortex |
| title_fullStr | Allocentric and egocentric spatial representations coexist in rodent medial entorhinal cortex |
| title_full_unstemmed | Allocentric and egocentric spatial representations coexist in rodent medial entorhinal cortex |
| title_short | Allocentric and egocentric spatial representations coexist in rodent medial entorhinal cortex |
| title_sort | allocentric and egocentric spatial representations coexist in rodent medial entorhinal cortex |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54699-9 |
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