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Researchers have discovered two distinct maps in the brain鈥檚 secondary motor cortex, which play a crucial role in spatial planning and navigation. The research, led by , Group Leader at the , provides a new approach to studying spatial planning in rodents and could have implications for understanding neurological conditions that affect spatial attention, such as stroke.

鈥淲e discovered that the premotor cortex uses a self-centred coordinate system for spatial planning, but that it also encodes a world-centred map that is used for determining the body鈥檚 current position in the world. This self-centred and world-centred information is combined in individual neurons in a multiplicative way, which makes it easier to disentangle downstream,鈥� explained Dr Erlich, corresponding author on the study.

The study, published in聽The Journal of Neuroscience, outlines how the researchers designed a novel task in rats that allowed them to differentiate between self-centred and world-centred reference frames. They recorded neural activity from an area of brain known as frontal orienting field (FOF) in the secondary motor cortex in rats and used machine learning techniques to decode the information.

鈥淚magine being asked where the nearest coffee shop is. You could say 鈥榳alk forward and turn left鈥� (self-centred directions) or 鈥榳alk North then East鈥� (world-centred directions). We want to understand how the brain transitions between these reference frames and transforms them into action,鈥� explained Dr Erlich.

The researchers developed a task involving a wall with seven portholes. Rats were trained to place their nose into a starting porthole, after which a light would appear in another porthole, designating it as the target. The rats then had to wait for an auditory cue before moving their nose to the target porthole to receive a reward. This waiting period allowed the researchers to distinguish between planning and action in the brain.

鈥淏y adding the right amount of complexity to our task, we were able to have good experimental control over the timings. This approach allowed us to tease apart the different dimensions of representation,鈥� explained Dr Erlich.

Some trials had different movement directions that led to the same target, and some had the same movement direction but led to different targets as they had different starting points. The researchers examined the neural activity during the period in between the visual and auditory cue, to establish whether the brain was planning based on the direction or final position, thereby determining if the FOF was using a self-centred or world-centred map.

鈥淲e were surprised to find a world-centred map in FOF as this has never been reported before. We want to explore what this position information is being used for and under what circumstances it becomes functionally relevant,鈥� concluded Dr Erlich.

The team is now exploring how these dual maps are used in tasks where the instructions are given in world-centred coordinates. They are also studying how the brain plans more complex sequences of movements. The ultimate goal of this research is to further understand the fundamental principles of spatial attention and how attention is linked to planning and execution of orienting movements. This has potential implications for neurological conditions such as hemispatial neglect following a stroke, where people cannot process or shift attention to one part of the world.

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Read the full paper in聽The Journal of Neuroscience: 鈥樷�� DOI:聽10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0018-24.2024

Funding:

This study was supported by the NYU Shanghai Doctoral Fellowship, Winston Foundation Fund, and BOCO Fund for Science and Research. The research was also supported by grants from the Program of Shanghai Academic/Technology Research Leader (15XD1503000); the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (15JC1400104); the 111 Project, Base B16018; the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC; 31970962); NYU-ECNU Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science at NYU Shanghai; and by the funders of the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, the Gatsby Charitable Foundation (GAT3755) and Wellcome (219627/Z/19/Z).

Writing credit and media contact:

For more information or to speak to the researchers involved, please contact聽April Cashin-Garbutt, Head of Research Communications and Engagement, Sainsbury Wellcome Centre E:聽聽T: +44 (0)20 3108 8028