Task-anchored grid cell firing is selectively associated with successful path integration-dependent behaviour

Abstract

Grid firing fields of neurons in the medial entorhinal cortex have been proposed as a neural substrate for spatial localisation and path integration. While there are strong theoretical arguments to support these roles, it has been challenging to directly test whether and when grid cells contribute to behaviours. Here, we investigate firing of grid cells during a task in which mice obtain rewards by recalling a location on a linear virtual track. We find that grid firing can either be anchored to the track, providing a code for position, or can instead encode distance travelled independent from the track position. Because engagement of these representations varied between and within sessions we were able to test whether positional grid firing predicts behaviour. We find that when a visual cue indicates the reward location, performance is similar regardless of whether grid cells encode position or distance. By contrast, in the absence of the visual cue, performance was substantially improved when grid cells encoded position compared to when they encoded distance. Our results suggest that positional anchoring of grid firing enhances performance of tasks that require path integration.

Grid cells perform path integration in multiple reference frames during self-motion-based navigation

“…The activity patterns of neurons within these brain regions that support navigation using path integration in 2D environments have yet to be established. The functional cell type most often linked to path integration is, without a doubt, the grid cells located in the medial entorhinal cortex (Burak & Fiete, 2009; Clark & Nolan, 2023; Gil et al, 2018; Hafting et al, 2005; McNaughton et al, 2006; Sorscher et al, 2023; Ying et al, 2022). Grid cells have several firing fields organized as one continuous grid of equilateral triangles.…”