UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Phase Precession Relative to Turning Angle in Theta-Modulated Head Direction Cells

Ji, Zilong; Lomi, Eleonora; Jeffery, Kate; Mitchell, Anna S; Burgess, Neil; (2025) Phase Precession Relative to Turning Angle in Theta-Modulated Head Direction Cells. Hippocampus , 35 (2) , Article e70008. 10.1002/hipo.70008. (In press). Green open access

[thumbnail of main_revision_remove_comments.pdf] Text
main_revision_remove_comments.pdf - Accepted Version
Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 19 September 2025.

Download (1MB)

Abstract

Grid and place cells typically fire at progressively earlier phases within each cycle of the theta rhythm as rodents run across their firing fields, a phenomenon known as theta phase precession. Here, we report theta phase precession relative to turning angle in theta-modulated head direction cells within the anteroventral thalamic nucleus (AVN). As rodents turn their heads, these cells fire at progressively earlier phases as head direction sweeps over their preferred tuning direction. The degree of phase precession increases with angular head velocity. Moreover, phase precession is more pronounced in those theta-modulated head direction cells that exhibit theta skipping, with a stronger theta-skipping effect correlating with a higher degree of phase precession. These findings are consistent with a ring attractor model that integrates external theta input with internal firing rate adaptation-a phenomenon we identified in head direction cells within AVN. Our results broaden the range of information known to be subject to neural phase coding and enrich our understanding of the neural dynamics supporting spatial orientation and navigation.

Type: Article
Title: Phase Precession Relative to Turning Angle in Theta-Modulated Head Direction Cells
Location: United States
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1002/hipo.70008
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.70008
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Firing rate adaptation, head direction cells, ring attractor network, theta modulation, theta phase precession, theta skipping, Theta Rhythm, Animals, Head Movements, Male, Action Potentials, Rats, Long-Evans, Rats, Anterior Thalamic Nuclei, Neurons, Place Cells, Models, Neurological
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology > Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences > Neuro, Physiology and Pharmacology
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10206260
Downloads since deposit
Loading...
1Download
Download activity - last month
Loading...
Download activity - last 12 months
Loading...
Downloads by country - last 12 months
Loading...

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item