Vector trace cells in the subiculum of the hippocampal formation

Steven Poulter, S. Ah Lee, J. Dachtler, T. J. Wills and C. Lever

Nat Neurosci. 2020 Dec 21. doi: 10.1038/s41593-020-00761-w. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33349710.

Selezionato dal Lettore: Angelo Torrente, Università degli Studi di Palermo - AOUP “Paolo Giaccone” di Palermo

MOTIVAZIONE: 

Moving in the environment requires a neural representation of allocentric vectors to boundaries, objects and goals. Even if there is evidence about cognitive processes underlying vector representations, evidence of neuron-level memory for allocentric vectors is lacking. Here, researchers describe a possibile novel neuron type, called vector trace cell (VTC), implicated in generating a new vector field when a cue is encountered, and a ‘trace’ version of that field for hours after cue removal. VTCs might provide a powerful universal code for long-term vector memory with important implications for spatial and non-spatial cognition