Head-centered representation and spatial memory in rat posterior parietal cortex

Abstract

Rodent posterior parietal cortex, similar to its homologue in primates, has been shown to be critically involved in spatial navigation. We summarize here selected neurophysiological data and their relevance to recent lesion- behavioral studies. The findings indicate that the rat posterior parietal cortex contains a significant proportion of neurons that code for head- centered (or body-centered) space by making use of the vestibular and proprioceptive inputs. Some posterior parietal neurons may store a working representation of space, which appears to be allocentric.