Walls define space as mice exploring a VR environment hints
New study published in Current Biology clarifies how animals build and preserve internal spatial maps depending on their surroundings.
One study being led by Dr. Guifen Chen of Queen Mary University of London examines the cerebral cortex of mice interacting with a 2D virtual reality (VR) setting. It was found that certain visual signals have an unexpected role in helping mice create and preserve spatial maps. It demonstrates that certain visual cues—in this instance, higher walls—are essential for maintaining the stability of the neurons in virtual reality (VR) that are responsible for spatial navigation.
According to Dr. Chen, the findings represent a substantial advancement in our comprehension of the specific kind of sensory data that animals used to identify boundaries. They demonstrate the amazing capacity of the brain to deduce borders from sensorimotor mismatch even in the absence of direct visual cues, underscoring the significance of raised boundaries in the construction of spatial maps.
The study team used virtual reality technology to perform an interesting experiment. Mice were given instructions to explore a two-dimensional virtual environment, and their brain activity was recorded. The research specifically focuses on the activity of two types of neurons that are essential for navigation: grid cells, which construct a map of the environment like a hexagon, and place cells, which activate when the animal is in a given spot.
The two-dimensional world in this virtual reality setting might be altered to add or remove different visual features. The scientists were able to see how the mice’s spatial maps changed in response to manipulations made in the virtual reality environment by keeping an eye on the activity of these neurons.
The most remarkable discovery concerned the function of visual borders. The mice’s place cells and grid cells fired regularly when the VR environment had raised walls, suggesting solid spatial maps.
The animals’ capacity to navigate was disrupted when these barriers were removed, as seen by the irregular firing patterns of these cells. It’s interesting to note that there was little effect when the VR environment’s floor cues were removed. This shows that animals create and retain internal maps based in large part on the kind of visual signals they receive.
Professors Francesca Cacucci, Neil Burgess, Tom Wills, and Xiuting Yang, a Ph.D. candidate at Queen Mary University of London’s School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, worked with Dr. Chen on this paper.
These results, according to the study team, have wider ramifications for comprehending navigation in the actual world.
According to Chen, the results point to the raised boundary—not the flat boundary—as being essential to how animals preserve their spatial maps. This might explain why, for example, young toddlers find it difficult to employ the flat edges of forms to help them with spatial orientation.
This work paves the way for more investigation into the complex interactions among sensory data, spatial memory, and navigation. It may open the door to developments in anything from virtual reality and robots to a better understanding of spatial navigation difficulties.