Visual cue-related activity of cells in the medial entorhinal cortex during navigation in virtual reality

During spatial navigation, animals use self-motion to estimate positions through path integration. However, estimation errors accumulate over time and it is unclear how they are corrected. Here we report a new cell class (‘cue cell’) encoding visual cues that could be used to correct errors in path integration in mouse medial entorhinal cortex (MEC). During virtual navigation, individual cue cells exhibited firing fields only near visual cues and their population response formed sequences repeated at each cue. These cells consistently responded to cues across multiple environments. On a track with cues on left and right sides, most cue cells only responded to cues on one side. During navigation in a real arena, they showed spatially stable activity and accounted for 32% of unidentified, spatially stable MEC cells. These cue cell properties demonstrate that the MEC contains a code representing spatial landmarks, which could be important for error correction during path integration

Current technical approaches to brain energy metabolism

Neuroscience is a technology‐driven discipline and brain energy metabolism is no exception. Once satisfied with mapping metabolic pathways at organ level, we are now looking to learn what it is exactly that metabolic enzymes and transporters do and when, where do they reside, how are they regulated, and how do they relate to the specific functions of neurons, glial cells, and their subcellular domains and organelles, in different areas of the brain. Moreover, we aim to quantify the fluxes of metabolites within and between cells. Energy metabolism is not just a necessity for proper cell function and viability but plays specific roles in higher brain functions such as memory processing and behavior, whose mechanisms need to be understood at all hierarchical levels, from isolated proteins to whole subjects, in both health and disease. To this aim, the field takes advantage of diverse disciplines including anatomy, histology, physiology, biochemistry, bioenergetics, cellular biology, molecular biology, developmental biology, neurology, and mathematical modeling. This article presents a well‐referenced synopsis of the technical side of brain energy metabolism research. Detail and jargon are avoided whenever possible and emphasis is given to comparative strengths, limitations, and weaknesses, information that is often not available in regular articles.Fondecyt, Grant Number: 1160317; MINECO, Grant Numbers: SAF2016‐78114‐R and RTC‐2015‐3237‐1; CIBERFES, Grant Numer: CB16/10/00282; SP3‐People‐MC‐ITN program, Grant Number: 608381; EU BATCure, Grant Number: 666918; FEDER (European regional development fund); Investissement d'Avenir, Grant Number: ANR‐11‐INBS‐0011; French State in the context of the “Investments for the future” Program IdEx and the LabEx TRAIL, Grant Numbers: ANR‐10‐IDEX and ANR‐10‐LABX‐57; French–Swiss ANR‐FNS, Grant Numer: ANR‐15‐ CE37‐0012. University of Nottingham; BBSRC, Grant Numers: BB/L019396/1 and BB/K009192/1; MRC, Grant Number: MR/L020661/1; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Grant Numers: DFG SPP 1757, SFB 894, and FOR 2289; European Commission, Grant Number: H2020‐FETPROACT 732344; Neurofibres, Grant Number: H2020‐MSCA‐ITN‐722053 EU‐GliaPhD; US National Institutes of Health, Grant Number: R01NS087611; Teva Pharmaceuticals; Agilent Technologies. IdEx, Grant Number: ANR‐10‐IDEX‐03‐02; French–Swiss ANR‐FNS, Grant number: 310030E‐164271; National Institutes of Neurologic Disease and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health, Grant Numer: R01 NS077773; University of Zurich and the Swiss National Science Foundation; Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, Grant Numer: PB 01; Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico, Grant Numer: 1160317; Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Grant Numer: RTC‐2015‐3237‐1,SAF2016‐78114‐R; Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Grant Numers: ANR‐10‐IDEX, ANR‐10‐IDEX‐03‐02, ANR‐10‐LABX‐57, ANR‐11‐INBS‐0011, and ANR‐15‐ CE37‐0012; Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Grant Numers: BB/L019396/1 and BB/K009192/1; Medical Research Council, Grant Numer: MR/L020661/1.Peer reviewe

Dialect and Literacy Development : A Review of Existing Literature Across Disciplines

Color poster with text and, charts.The literature pertaining to the relationships between dialect, learning, and literacy is vast. Different disciplines bring different knowledge and theories to these topics. While all examine the interplay between dialect and literacy development, their different lens led to differences in how they operationalize literacy development. Our aim is to review the existing literature across the disciplines of education, psychology, and speech language pathology to extract common themes and identify potential gaps. We question whether interactional and power dynamics are adequately addressed. Children speak diverse dialects in our early education classroom; however mainstream American English (MAE) remains a gatekeeper to educational success. Mapping the literature will provide an integrated picture of the role dialect plays in literacy development.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program