PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Zhang, Ningyu
AU  - Grieves, Roddy M.
AU  - Jeffery, Kate J.
TI  - Environment symmetry drives a multidirectional code in rat retrosplenial cortex
AID  - 10.1101/2021.08.22.457261
DP  - 2021 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 2021.08.22.457261
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/10/09/2021.08.22.457261.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/10/09/2021.08.22.457261.full
AB  - A class of neurons showing bidirectional tuning in a two-compartment environment was recently discovered in dysgranular retrosplenial cortex (dRSC). We investigated here whether these neurons possess a more general environmental symmetry-encoding property, potentially useful in representing complex spatial structure. We report that directional tuning of dRSC neurons reflected environment symmetry in onefold, twofold and fourfold-symmetric environments: this was the case not just globally, but also locally within each sub-compartment. Thus, these cells use environmental cues to organize multiple directional tuning curves, which perhaps sometimes combine via interaction with classic head direction cells. A consequence is that both local and global environmental symmetry are simultaneously encoded even within local sub-compartments, which may be important for cognitive mapping of the space beyond immediate perceptual reach.One Sentence Summary Retrosplenial directionally tuned neurons encode global environment symmetry even in local sub-compartments.Competing Interest StatementK.J.J is a non-shareholding director of Axona Ltd.