Theta oscillations coordinate grid-like representations between ventromedial prefrontal and entorhinal cortex.

Abstract

Grid cells and theta oscillations are fundamental constituents of the brain’s navigation system and have been described in the entorhinal cortex (EC). Recent fMRI studies reveal that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) contains grid-like representations. However, the neural mechanisms underlying human vmPFC grid-like representations and their interactions with EC grid activity have remained unknown. We conducted intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) recordings from epilepsy patients during a virtual spatial navigation task. Oscillatory theta power in the vmPFC exhibited a sixfold rotational symmetry that was coordinated with grid-like representations in the EC. We found that synchronous theta oscillations occurred between these regions that predicted navigational performance. Analysis of information transfer revealed a unidirectional signal from vmPFC to EC during memory retrieval. Together, this study provides insights into the previously unknown neural signature and functional role of grid-like representations outside the EC and their synchronization with the entorhinal grid during human spatial navigation.