RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 A neural code for egocentric spatial maps in the human medial temporal lobe
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2020.03.03.973131
DO 10.1101/2020.03.03.973131
A1 Lukas Kunz
A1 Armin Brandt
A1 Peter C. Reinacher
A1 Bernhard P. Staresina
A1 Eric T. Reifenstein
A1 Christoph T. Weidemann
A1 Nora A. Herweg
A1 Melina Tsitsiklis
A1 Richard Kempter
A1 Michael J. Kahana
A1 Andreas Schulze-Bonhage
A1 Joshua Jacobs
YR 2020
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/05/07/2020.03.03.973131.abstract
AB Spatial navigation relies on neural systems that encode information about places, distances, and directions in relation to the external world or relative to the navigating organism. Since the proposal of cognitive maps, the neuroscience of navigation has focused on allocentric (world-referenced) neural representations including place, grid, and head-direction cells. Here, using single-neuron recordings during virtual navigation, we identify “anchor cells” in the human brain as a neural code for egocentric (self-centered) spatial maps: Anchor cells represent egocentric directions towards “anchor points” located in the environmental center or periphery. Anchor cells were abundant in parahippocampal cortex, supported full vectorial representations of egocentric space, and were integrated into a neural memory network. Neurons encoding allocentric direction complemented anchor-cell activity, potentially assisting anchor cells in transforming percepts into allocentric representations. Anchor cells may facilitate egocentric navigation strategies, may support route planning from egocentric viewpoints, and may underlie the first-person perspective in episodic memories.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.