Differential Impact of Multiple Sensory Deprivation on Spatial-coding Cells in Medial Entorhinal Cortex

Spatial navigation depends on anchoring internal spatial maps to external environments, guided by sensory cues such as visual and tactile stimuli. The Medial Entorhinal Cortex (MEC) is crucial for integrating these sensory inputs during the formation of spatial maps. While the responsiveness of many spatial-coding cells to visual stimuli is well-established, the role of tactile sensation in spatial representation is less understood. Rodents primarily gather tactile information through their whiskers, which provide essential spatial and textural details via whisking movements, potentially vital for constructing accurate spatial map. In our study, we employed advanced miniature two-photon microscopy to monitor neural activity in the MEC of freely moving mice subjected to sensory deprivation. Our findings revealed that head direction cells and border cells exhibited impaired spatial representation after either light deprivation or whisker trimming. In contrast, grid cells and speed cells were less affected by whisker trimming compared to visual deprivation, suggesting a stronger dependence on visual cues for these cell types. Notably, distinct subpopulations within each type of spatial-coding cell exhibited varying sensitivity to sensory deprivation—some neurons significantly changed their spatial-coding patterns, while others remained unaffected. This indicates that cells within the MEC may differ in their spatial-coding based on their sensitivity to external sensory inputs. Additionally, we observed a strong correlation between the activity of certain MEC neurons and whisker movement. Collectively, these findings enhance our understanding of how the MEC processes spatial information, particularly in relation to tactile sensation.