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Months-long stability of the head-direction system
Sofia Skromne Carrasco1, Guillaume Viejo1,2, Adrien Peyrache3
1Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Nature
|February 11, 2026
Summary
The brain's head-direction (HD) system shows remarkable stability and plasticity. This system forms long-lasting orientation memories anchored to specific environments, aiding spatial navigation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Spatial orientation and navigation are crucial for animal survival.
- The head-direction (HD) system in mammals is vital for sense of direction.
- Previous studies indicated instability in neuronal tuning within navigation systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the stability and plasticity of the neuronal code in the HD system.
- To understand how the HD system encodes environmental information and landmarks.
- To determine the long-term stability of orientation memories.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal tracking of individual HD cells in the post-subiculum of freely moving mice.
- Analysis of neuronal activity across different environments and over extended periods.
- Assessment of population coherence and alignment with external landmarks.
Main Results:
- The population structure of HD cells remained highly conserved across environments and time.
- Subtle shifts in population coherence effectively encoded environment identity.
- A distinct, environment-specific alignment between the HD system's internal representation and external landmarks was established and persisted for weeks.
Conclusions:
- The HD system exhibits both stability and plasticity in its neuronal code.
- The HD system forms durable, environment-specific orientation memories.
- These findings highlight the HD system's role in creating stable, long-term spatial memories anchored to environments.
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