Rotation of visual landmark cues influences the spatial response profile of hippocampal neurons in freely-moving homing pigeons

Abstract

Pigeon hippocampal neurons display two spatial response profiles: location fields frequently at goals, and path fields connecting goals. We recorded from 15 location and six path cells, with color cues positioned near four goal locations. Following color cue rotation, most location cells (12/15) shifted their response fields; path cells (5/6) lost their fields. Therefore, local visual cues can independently define a reference frame for location cells, but path cells may be more broadly tuned to context or alternative reference frames.