Role of the head-direction signal in spatial tasks: when and how does it guide behavior?

Since their discovery, mammalian head-direction (HD) cells have been extensively researched in terms of sensory origins, external cue control, and circuitry. However, the relationship of HD cells to behavior is not yet fully understood. In the current review, we examine the anatomical clues for information flow in the HD circuit and an emerging body of evidence that links neural activity of HD cells and spatial orientation. We hypothesize from results obtained in spatial orientation tasks involving HD cells that when properly aligned with available external cues, the HD signal could be used for guiding rats to a goal location. However, contradictory inputs from separate sensory systems may reduce the influence of the HD signal such that animals are able to switch between this and other systems according to their impact on behavior.

• Publication year

  2018

• Venue

  Journal of Neurophysiology

• Publication date

  2018-03-14

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine, Computer Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1152/jn.00560.2017PMID 29537921
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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