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Path integration in place cells of developing rats

Tale L Bjerknes1,2, Nenitha C Dagslott1,2, Edvard I Moser1,2

  • 1Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7489 Trondheim, Norway.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|February 1, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Young rats can use self-motion cues to navigate before their grid-cell system matures. This suggests early development of spatial cognition and path integration in the brain.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Place cells in the hippocampus and grid cells in the medial entorhinal cortex are crucial for spatial navigation.
  • These cells rely on self-motion information and path integration for spatially confined firing.
  • Place cells emerge early (2.5 weeks), while grid cells mature later (around 4 weeks).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if place cells can integrate self-motion information before the grid-cell system is fully mature.
  • To understand the developmental timeline of spatial self-motion integration in rats.

Main Methods:

  • Recorded place cell activity in preweaning, postweaning, and adult rats on a linear track.
  • Manipulated the start wall position during trials in both dark and light conditions.
  • Analyzed place field stability relative to the start wall and external landmarks.

Main Results:

  • In darkness, place cells maintained consistent fields relative to the start wall across all age groups.
  • With external landmarks (lights on), place fields were primarily landmark-driven, except at the track's start.
  • This landmark-based navigation shift occurred in both young and adult rats.

Conclusions:

  • Preweaning rats demonstrate the ability to use self-motion cues for distance calculation before grid-cell maturation.
  • Spatial self-motion integration in place cells develops earlier than the grid-cell system.
  • This suggests a foundational capacity for path integration in the developing hippocampus.

Keywords:
developmenthippocampusnavigationpath integrationplace cells

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