Hippocampal firing fields anchored to a moving object predict homing direction during path-integration-based behavior

Abstract

Homing based on path integration (H-PI) is a form of navigation in which an animal uses self-motion cues to keep track of its position and return to a starting point. Despite evidence for a role of the hippocampus in H-PI, the firing patterns of hippocampal neurons associated with homing performance are unknown. Here we developed a behavioral task for mice to characterize spatially selective cells during H-PI. The task required a mouse to find a variably placed lever on an arena before returning to its home base. H-PI was assessed in complete darkness. Recordings from CA1 pyramidal neurons in mice showed that several firing fields were anchored to the lever position. The spatial stability of lever-anchored fields was reduced during trials with lower homing accuracy, and the activity of a subset of lever-anchored firing fields predicted homing direction. These results demonstrate how neurons with object-anchored firing fields contribute to navigation.