A hippocampo-cerebellar centred network for the learning and execution of sequence-based navigation

How do we translate self-motion into goal-directed actions? Here we investigate the cognitive architecture underlying self-motion processing during exploration and goal-directed behaviour. The task, performed in an environment with limited and ambiguous external landmarks, constrained mice to use self-motion based information for sequence-based navigation. The post-behavioural analysis combined brain network characterization based on c-Fos imaging and graph theory analysis as well as computational modelling of the learning process. The study revealed a widespread network centred around the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia during the exploration phase, while a network dominated by hippocampal and cerebellar activity appeared to sustain sequence-based navigation. The learning process could be modelled by an algorithm combining memory of past actions and model-free reinforcement learning, which parameters pointed toward a central role of hippocampal and cerebellar structures for learning to translate self-motion into a sequence of goal-directed actions.