Coordinated hippocampal–entorhinal representations support human context-dependent spatial navigation

Abstract

To execute goal-directed behavior, retrieval of both context and object information is crucial. Despite the ubiquity of such contextual computations in daily navigation, the neural mechanisms underlying this process in humans and its connection to behavior remain largely elusive. Leveraging intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) recorded from epilepsy patients (N = 31) engaged in a context-dependent spatial navigation task, we uncovered distinct oscillatory patterns in the hippocampus (HC) and entorhinal cortex (EC) that represented context and object information, respectively. Notably, the covariation of these neural representations predicted behavioral performance. Furthermore, both representations were primarily driven by low-frequency oscillations (2–8 Hz). The synchronization of low-frequency oscillations between HC and EC was associated with enhanced object representations in the EC. These findings highlight the importance of low-frequency neural dynamics in mediating both local representations and interregional interactions within the hippocampal–entorhinal circuit during context-dependent spatial navigation.