A Visual-Cue-Dependent Memory Circuit for Place Navigation

• Published in: Neuron (Cambridge, Mass.) Vol. 99; no. 1; pp. 47 - 55.e4
• Main Authors: Qin, Han, Fu, Ling, Hu, Bo, Liao, Xiang, Lu, Jian, He, Wenjing, Liang, Shanshan, Zhang, Kuan, Li, Ruijie, Yao, Jiwei, Yan, Junan, Chen, Hao, Jia, Hongbo, Zott, Benedikt, Konnerth, Arthur, Chen, Xiaowei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 11.07.2018; Elsevier Limited; Cell Press
• Subjects: Animals; axonal projection; CA1 Region, Hippocampal - physiology; Cortex (entorhinal); Cues; Dentate gyrus; Dentate Gyrus - physiology; Entorhinal Cortex - physiology; Experiments; fiber photometry; Hippocampus; Hippocampus - physiology; Learning; medial entorhinal cortex; Memory; Memory - physiology; Mice; navigation; Neural Inhibition; Neurons; Optogenetics; persistent activity; Photometry; R&D; Research & development; spatial memory; Spatial Memory - physiology; Spatial Navigation; Visual cortex; Visual pathways; Visual Perception; Visual stimuli; Visual system; China; fiber photometry; axonal projection; dentate gyrus; navigation; hippocampus; spatial memory; persistent activity; medial entorhinal cortex
• ISSN: 0896-6273; 1097-4199
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.05.021

The ability to remember and to navigate to safe places is necessary for survival. Place navigation is known to involve medial entorhinal cortex (MEC)-hippocampal connections. However, learning-dependent changes in neuronal activity in the distinct circuits remain unknown. Here, by using optic fiber photometry in freely behaving mice, we discovered the experience-dependent induction of a persistent-task-associated (PTA) activity. This PTA activity critically depends on learned visual cues and builds up selectively in the MEC layer II-dentate gyrus, but not in the MEC layer III-CA1 pathway, and its optogenetic suppression disrupts navigation to the target location. The findings suggest that the visual system, the MEC layer II, and the dentate gyrus are essential hubs of a memory circuit for visually guided navigation. •Fiber photometry allows for recording MEC-DG projection in freely moving mice•A persistent-task-associated (PTA) activity is induced in the MECII-DG pathway•PTA activity requires visual inputs throughout navigation to the learned place•Photoinhibition of the MECII-DG activity causes a disruption of navigation Qin et al. identify a persistent-task-associated activity selectively in the medial entorhinal cortex layer II-hippocampal dentate gyrus pathway in freely moving mice after place learning. They find that this activity is required for navigation to the learned place.