IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v14y2023i1d10.1038_s41467-023-43831-w.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Mental search of concepts is supported by egocentric vector representations and restructured grid maps

Author

Listed:
  • Simone Viganò

    (Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
    University of Trento)

  • Rena Bayramova

    (Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences)

  • Christian F. Doeller

    (Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
    Norwegian University of Science and Technology
    Leipzig University)

  • Roberto Bottini

    (University of Trento)

Abstract

The human hippocampal-entorhinal system is known to represent both spatial locations and abstract concepts in memory in the form of allocentric cognitive maps. Using fMRI, we show that the human parietal cortex evokes complementary egocentric representations in conceptual spaces during goal-directed mental search, akin to those observable during physical navigation to determine where a goal is located relative to oneself (e.g., to our left or to our right). Concurrently, the strength of the grid-like signal, a neural signature of allocentric cognitive maps in entorhinal, prefrontal, and parietal cortices, is modulated as a function of goal proximity in conceptual space. These brain mechanisms might support flexible and parallel readout of where target conceptual information is stored in memory, capitalizing on complementary reference frames.

Suggested Citation

  • Simone Viganò & Rena Bayramova & Christian F. Doeller & Roberto Bottini, 2023. "Mental search of concepts is supported by egocentric vector representations and restructured grid maps," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-14, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-43831-w
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43831-w
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-43831-w
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-023-43831-w?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Christian F. Doeller & Caswell Barry & Neil Burgess, 2010. "Evidence for grid cells in a human memory network," Nature, Nature, vol. 463(7281), pages 657-661, February.
    2. Øyvind Arne Høydal & Emilie Ranheim Skytøen & Sebastian Ola Andersson & May-Britt Moser & Edvard I. Moser, 2019. "Object-vector coding in the medial entorhinal cortex," Nature, Nature, vol. 568(7752), pages 400-404, April.
    3. James R. Hinman & G. William Chapman & Michael E. Hasselmo, 2019. "Neuronal representation of environmental boundaries in egocentric coordinates," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-8, December.
    4. Torkel Hafting & Marianne Fyhn & Sturla Molden & May-Britt Moser & Edvard I. Moser, 2005. "Microstructure of a spatial map in the entorhinal cortex," Nature, Nature, vol. 436(7052), pages 801-806, August.
    5. Dmitriy Aronov & Rhino Nevers & David W. Tank, 2017. "Mapping of a non-spatial dimension by the hippocampal–entorhinal circuit," Nature, Nature, vol. 543(7647), pages 719-722, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Federica Sigismondi & Yangwen Xu & Mattia Silvestri & Roberto Bottini, 2024. "Altered grid-like coding in early blind people," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kyerl Park & Yoonsoo Yeo & Kisung Shin & Jeehyun Kwag, 2024. "Egocentric neural representation of geometric vertex in the retrosplenial cortex," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-14, December.
    2. Isabella C. Wagner & Luise P. Graichen & Boryana Todorova & Andre Lüttig & David B. Omer & Matthias Stangl & Claus Lamm, 2023. "Entorhinal grid-like codes and time-locked network dynamics track others navigating through space," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-18, December.
    3. Taylor J. Malone & Nai-Wen Tien & Yan Ma & Lian Cui & Shangru Lyu & Garret Wang & Duc Nguyen & Kai Zhang & Maxym V. Myroshnychenko & Jean Tyan & Joshua A. Gordon & David A. Kupferschmidt & Yi Gu, 2024. "A consistent map in the medial entorhinal cortex supports spatial memory," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-22, December.
    4. Qiming Shao & Ligu Chen & Xiaowan Li & Miao Li & Hui Cui & Xiaoyue Li & Xinran Zhao & Yuying Shi & Qiang Sun & Kaiyue Yan & Guangfu Wang, 2024. "A non-canonical visual cortical-entorhinal pathway contributes to spatial navigation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-18, December.
    5. Federica Sigismondi & Yangwen Xu & Mattia Silvestri & Roberto Bottini, 2024. "Altered grid-like coding in early blind people," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, December.
    6. Davide Spalla & Alessandro Treves & Charlotte N. Boccara, 2022. "Angular and linear speed cells in the parahippocampal circuits," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.
    7. Johnson Ying & Alexandra T. Keinath & Raphael Lavoie & Erika Vigneault & Salah El Mestikawy & Mark P. Brandon, 2022. "Disruption of the grid cell network in a mouse model of early Alzheimer’s disease," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.
    8. Will D Penny & Peter Zeidman & Neil Burgess, 2013. "Forward and Backward Inference in Spatial Cognition," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(12), pages 1-22, December.
    9. Alexander Nitsch & Mona M. Garvert & Jacob L. S. Bellmund & Nicolas W. Schuck & Christian F. Doeller, 2024. "Grid-like entorhinal representation of an abstract value space during prospective decision making," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-20, December.
    10. Qi Huang & Zhibing Xiao & Qianqian Yu & Yuejia Luo & Jiahua Xu & Yukun Qu & Raymond Dolan & Timothy Behrens & Yunzhe Liu, 2024. "Replay-triggered brain-wide activation in humans," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-17, December.
    11. Sina Mackay & Thomas P. Reber & Marcel Bausch & Jan Boström & Christian E. Elger & Florian Mormann, 2024. "Concept and location neurons in the human brain provide the ‘what’ and ‘where’ in memory formation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.
    12. Laurenz Muessig & Fabio Ribeiro Rodrigues & Tale L. Bjerknes & Benjamin W. Towse & Caswell Barry & Neil Burgess & Edvard I. Moser & May-Britt Moser & Francesca Cacucci & Thomas J. Wills, 2024. "Environment geometry alters subiculum boundary vector cell receptive fields in adulthood and early development," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-17, December.
    13. Xiang Zhang & Qichen Cao & Kai Gao & Cong Chen & Sihui Cheng & Ang Li & Yuqian Zhou & Ruojin Liu & Jun Hao & Emilio Kropff & Chenglin Miao, 2024. "Multiplexed representation of others in the hippocampal CA1 subfield of female mice," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.
    14. Maryam Najafian Jazi & Adrian Tymorek & Ting-Yun Yen & Felix Jose Kavarayil & Moritz Stingl & Sherman Richard Chau & Benay Baskurt & Celia García Vilela & Kevin Allen, 2023. "Hippocampal firing fields anchored to a moving object predict homing direction during path-integration-based behavior," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-20, December.
    15. Babak Shahbaba & Lingge Li & Forest Agostinelli & Mansi Saraf & Keiland W. Cooper & Derenik Haghverdian & Gabriel A. Elias & Pierre Baldi & Norbert J. Fortin, 2022. "Hippocampal ensembles represent sequential relationships among an extended sequence of nonspatial events," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-17, December.
    16. Noga Mosheiff & Haggai Agmon & Avraham Moriel & Yoram Burak, 2017. "An efficient coding theory for a dynamic trajectory predicts non-uniform allocation of entorhinal grid cells to modules," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(6), pages 1-19, June.
    17. Jun Liu & Arron F. Hall & Dong V. Wang, 2024. "Emerging many-to-one weighted mapping in hippocampus-amygdala network underlies memory formation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    18. Balázs Ujfalussy & Tamás Kiss & Péter Érdi, 2009. "Parallel Computational Subunits in Dentate Granule Cells Generate Multiple Place Fields," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 5(9), pages 1-16, September.
    19. Louis-Emmanuel Martinet & Denis Sheynikhovich & Karim Benchenane & Angelo Arleo, 2011. "Spatial Learning and Action Planning in a Prefrontal Cortical Network Model," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(5), pages 1-21, May.
    20. Florian Raudies & Michael E Hasselmo, 2012. "Modeling Boundary Vector Cell Firing Given Optic Flow as a Cue," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(6), pages 1-17, June.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-43831-w. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.