2024/11/12 by Luigi Petrucco · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Neuroscience · #Neural dynamics and brain function #Photoreceptor and optogenetics research #Zebrafish Biomedical Research Applications
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/ejn.16613
openalex publication_date 2024/11/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
The brain's ability to integrate sensory and motor information allows us to maintain a sense of orientation in space, a process in which head-direction cells play a key role. While these neurons have been studied extensively in mammals, their presence and function in non-mammalian species remain less understood. Here, I summarize the research work for my PhD thesis, where we explore the interpeduncular nucleus (IPN) in zebrafish, a lesser known brain region, using whole-brain electron microscopy and calcium imaging techniques. We identified a novel population of unipolar neurons, with their activity exhibiting a dynamic, rotational pattern during head movements, even in the absence of sensory cues. This population mirrors the functionality of head-direction cells observed in mammals, suggesting a conserved mechanism for spatial orientation across vertebrates. Our findings reveal the potential of the zebrafish IPN as a vertebrate model for studying ring attractor networks, a theoretical framework previously used to explain head-direction cell activity. These results pave the way for future research on how motor and sensory signals converge in the vertebrate brain to maintain spatial orientation.