Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41193442›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

The head-direction signal is generated from two types of head direction cells in brainstem nuclei.

Jeffrey S Taube, William N Butler, Julie R Dumont, Jalina A Graham, Jennifer L Marcroft, Michael E Shinder, Robert W Stackman, Ryan M Yoder

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Jeffrey S TaubeDartmouth College, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Hanover, NH, USA. jeffrey.taube@dartmouth.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6487-0791
William N ButlerDartmouth College, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Hanover, NH, USA.
Julie R DumontDartmouth College, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Hanover, NH, USA.
Jalina A GrahamDartmouth College, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Hanover, NH, USA.
Jennifer L MarcroftDartmouth College, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Hanover, NH, USA.
Michael E ShinderDartmouth College, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Hanover, NH, USA.
Robert W StackmanDartmouth College, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Hanover, NH, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5950-046X
Ryan M YoderDartmouth College, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Hanover, NH, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9639-1178

Funding

Neural Basis of Spatial CognitionR01NS053907 · NINDS · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · PI TAUBE, JEFFREY STEVEN · 2005 to 2015
$3.2M
A Neural Systems Approach to Understanding the Dynamic Computations Underlying our Sense of DirectionUF1NS111695 · NINDS · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · PI TAUBE, JEFFREY STEVEN, VAN DER MEER, MATTHIJS · 2019 to 2019
$3.0M
Neural Basis for Spatial CognitionR56NS053907 · NINDS · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · PI TAUBE, JEFFREY STEVEN · 2017 to 2017
$405k
NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS053907NINDS NIH HHS R56 NS053907NINDS NIH HHS UF1 NS111695U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) NS053907U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) NS111695
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Head direction (HD) cells discharge based on an animal's directional heading. Computational models propose that a ring-attractor network across the connections between the lateral mammillary (LMN) and dorsal tegmental nuclei (DTN) underlies the signal's generation. These models contain neurons that encode either HD or angular head velocity (AHV), but also require cells that are sensitive to both parameters conjunctively (HD + AHV). Here we identify both types of HD cells in the LMN and DTN of female rats, with one population sensitive to AHV (both symmetric and asymmetric), and the other population insensitive to AHV. Notably, many HD + AHV cells are also sensitive to the animal's linear head-speed (LHS). In contrast, anterodorsal thalamic HD cells are rarely sensitive to AHV or LHS. These findings demonstrate that the requisite HD + AHV cell is present in areas that generate the HD signal and supports the view that a ring attractor network underlies its generation in mammals.

Indexed as

Brain StemHead MovementsNeuronsAnimalsFemaleHeadMammillary BodiesModels, NeurologicalRats

Identifiers

PMID41193442
PMCPMC12589616

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.