Preserved navigation abilities and spatio-temporal memory in individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

Cerebellar abnormalities have been reported in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Beyond its role in hallmark features of ASD, the cerebellum and its connectivity with forebrain structures also play a role in navigation. However, the current understanding of navigation abilities in ASD is equivocal, as is the impact of the disorder on the functional anatomy of the cerebellum.

Author Correction: A hippocampo-cerebellar centred network for the learning and execution of sequence-based navigation.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Anatomical and physiological foundations of cerebello-hippocampal interaction.

Multiple lines of evidence suggest that functionally intact cerebello-hippocampal interactions are required for appropriate spatial processing. However, how the cerebellum anatomically and physiologically engages with the hippocampus to sustain such communication remains unknown. Using rabies virus as a retrograde transneuronal tracer in mice, we reveal that the dorsal hippocampus receives input from topographically restricted and disparate regions of the cerebellum.

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.

Complementary Roles of the Hippocampus and the Dorsomedial Striatum during Spatial and Sequence-Based Navigation Behavior.

We investigated the neural bases of navigation based on spatial or sequential egocentric representation during the completion of the starmaze, a complex goal-directed navigation task. In this maze, mice had to swim along a path composed of three choice points to find a hidden platform. As reported previously, this task can be solved by using two hippocampal-dependent strategies encoded in parallel i) the allocentric strategy requiring encoding of the contextual information, and ii) the sequential egocentric strategy requiring temporal encoding of a sequence of successive body movements associated to specific choice points.

Effect of exposure to 1,800 MHz electromagnetic fields on heat shock proteins and glial cells in the brain of developing rats.

The increasing use of mobile phones by children raise issues about the effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) on the immature Central Nervous System (CNS). In the present study, we quantified cell stress and glial responses in the brain of developing rats one day after a single exposure of 2 h to a GSM 1,800 MHz signal at a brain average Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) in the range of 1.7 to 2.