Stellate Cells in the Medial Entorhinal Cortex Are Required for Spatial Learning

• Published in: Cell reports (Cambridge) 2018-01, Vol.22 (5), p.1313-1324
• Main Authors: Tennant, Sarah A., Fischer, Lukas, Garden, Derek L.F., Gerlei, Klára Zsófia, Martinez-Gonzalez, Cristina, McClure, Christina, Wood, Emma R., Nolan, Matthew F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; behavior; cue-based navigation; entorhinal cortex; Entorhinal Cortex - cytology; Entorhinal Cortex - physiology; learning; location estimation; memory; Mice; neural computation; Neurons - physiology; path integration; spatial cognition; Spatial Learning - physiology; virtual reality
• ISSN: 2211-1247; 2211-1247
• DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.01.005

Spatial learning requires estimates of location that may be obtained by path integration or from positional cues. Grid and other spatial firing patterns of neurons in the superficial medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) suggest roles in behavioral estimation of location. However, distinguishing the contributions of path integration and cue-based signals to spatial behaviors is challenging, and the roles of identified MEC neurons are unclear. We use virtual reality to dissociate linear path integration from other strategies for behavioral estimation of location. We find that mice learn to path integrate using motor-related self-motion signals, with accuracy that decreases steeply as a function of distance. We show that inactivation of stellate cells in superficial MEC impairs spatial learning in virtual reality and in a real world object location recognition task. Our results quantify contributions of path integration to behavior and corroborate key predictions of models in which stellate cells contribute to location estimation. [Display omitted] •Mice learn to estimate location by path integration and cue-based strategies•Motor-related self-motion signals are used for path integration•Accuracy of path integration decreases with distance•Stellate cells in medial entorhinal cortex are required for spatial learning Tennant et al. develop virtual reality tasks that dissociate beaconing and path integration strategies for location estimation. In combination with genetically targeted inactivation of synaptic output, the authors provide evidence for a critical role for entorhinal stellate cells in spatial learning.