Project Reference: TRG27-PDN-SK1

Project title: Neural Circuit Mechanisms Underlying the Brain's Internal Compass

Project outline

Spatial navigation fundamentally relies on sensing one's orientation relative to the environment and goal locations. Although neurons encoding head direction and angular head velocity are thought to form the brain's internal compass, their precise role in navigation and the neural circuits through which they influence spatial behaviour remain poorly understood. These gaps largely stem from the lack of behavioural paradigms that probe the sense of direction while systematically controlling environmental cues.

This project addresses these challenges using a novel spatial orientation task for mice, in which successful performance depends on tracking heading either with or without reference to the external environment. This design dissociates internal and external reference frames, enabling us to investigate distinct navigational strategies. By recording from large neuronal populations across key nodes of the head direction network – including the anterior thalamus, retrosplenial cortex, and postsubiculum – we aim to determine how the brain's internal compass supports spatial orientation under these strategies. In parallel, we will investigate the contribution of neural circuits connecting these regions to navigation using circuit-specific manipulations during behaviour. The experimental work will be integrated with computational modelling and analysis to uncover how neural circuits combine sensory information to generate a coherent sense of direction. 

Prospective PhD students will gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge neuroscience techniques, including behavioural training, large-scale electrophysiological recordings using Neuropixels probes, targeted circuit manipulations with chemogenetic and optogenetic tools, and computational analysis of behavioural and neuronal population data. Through this interdisciplinary training, they will address fundamental questions about the neural basis of spatial cognition and navigation.

Principal Supervisor

Dr Sepiedeh Keshavarzi

Email address: sk2244@cam.ac.uk

Department / Partner Institute: Physiology, Development and Neuroscience (PDN)

Website: https://www.keshavarzilab.com/

BBSRC strategic theme

Understanding the rules of life