Decision-making and sensorimotor transformations in virtual environments

When we are navigating through an environment, we must integrate incoming sensory input with our cognitive maps to select an appropriate path. For example, when walking to a nearby cafe, you likely use particular spatial cues to indicate when to turn in order to reach the right location.

To investigate the neural basis for this cognitive ability, we are measuring and manipulating cortical activity as mice navigate through virtual environments in which particular cues indicate which direction to turn.

We have found a particular cortical region, the retrosplenial cortex, appears to be crucial for linking the sensory cues to correct motor outputs.