Building spatial maps from visual and self-motion inputs
Award Number
BB/W007878/1Status / Stage
ActiveDates
1 February 2022 -31 May 2025
Duration (calculated)
03 years 03 monthsFunder(s)
BBSRC (UKRI)Funding Amount
£492,795.00Funder/Grant study page
BBSRC UKRIContracted Centre
Queen Mary University of LondonPrincipal Investigator
Dr Guifen ChenPI Contact
guifen.chen@qmul.ac.ukPI ORCID
0000-0002-5459-660XWHO Catergories
Understanding Underlying DiseaseDisease Type
Dementia (Unspecified)CPEC Review Info
| Reference ID | 697 |
|---|---|
| Researcher | Reside Team |
| Published | 07/07/2023 |
Data
| Award Number | BB/W007878/1 |
|---|---|
| Status / Stage | Active |
| Start Date | 20220201 |
| End Date | 20250531 |
| Duration (calculated) | 03 years 03 months |
| Funder/Grant study page | BBSRC UKRI |
| Contracted Centre | Queen Mary University of London |
| Funding Amount | £492,795.00 |
Abstract
Our brain forms an internal representation (or “map”) of space. Several spatial cells have been discovered in mammals, including place cells in the hippocampus and grid cells in the medial entorhinal cortex. The formation of spatial representation requires inputs from environmental sensory cues (such as environmental visual landmarks) and self-motion cues (such as locomotor, or optic flow cues). However, it remains unclear how spatial cells combine visual and self-motion cues in order to form these maps. This question had been challenging to study, but my recently-developed two-dimensional virtual reality (2D VR) system offers two unique advantages for addressing it. Firstly, it allows independent manipulations of visual and self-motion cues in 2D space. Secondly, my pilot data show that grid cells take a much longer time to form spatial patterns than place cells. Thus, for the first time, we have a prolonged window during which to study the formation of spatial representations, especially the effects of visual and self-motion cues on the formation. The project aims to understand how place and grid cells interact and combine visual and self-motion cues to represent space. I will take advantage of the 2D VR system, combined with in vivo electrophysiological recordings with tetrodes and/or Neuropixels probes. I will first investigate the de-novo formation of spatial representations as adult mice first experience a 2D virtual space. I will then investigate the separate effects of the visual and self-motion inputs on spatial representations at different points of the formation. At the same time, I will also look at the ensemble reactivations of place cells during slow-wave sleep throughout the formation period. Finally, I will investigate how visual and self-motion cues affect established spatial maps. The findings of the project will demonstrate how place and grid cells play distinct roles in building spatial maps, using different cues dependant on experience.
Aims
The project aims to understand how place and grid cells interact and combine visual and self-motion cues to represent space.