RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Retrosplenial cortex and its role in spatial cognition JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 190801 DO 10.1101/190801 A1 Anna Mitchell A1 Rafal Czajkowksi A1 Ningyu Zhang A1 Kate Jeffery A1 Andrew Nelson YR 2017 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/09/19/190801.abstract AB Retrosplenial cortex (RSC) is a region within the posterior neocortical system, heavily interconnected with an array of brain networks, both cortical and subcortical, that is engaged by a myriad of cognitive tasks. Although there is no consensus as to its precise function, evidence from both human and animal studies clearly points to a role in spatial cognition. However, the spatial processing impairments that follow RSC damage are not straightforward to characterise, leading to difficulties in defining the exact nature of its role. In the present article we review this literature and classify the types of ideas that have been put forward into three broad, somewhat overlapping classes: (i) Learning of landmark location, stability and permanence; (ii) Integration between spatial reference frames, and (iii) Consolidation and retrieval of spatial knowledge (“schemas”). We evaluate these models and suggest ways to test them, before briefly discussing whether the spatial function may be a subset of a more general function in episodic memory.