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• Lenkey, Nora Melinda; Garvert, Anna Christina; Neubrandt, Mate; Kriener, Birgit & Vervaeke, Koen Gerard Alois (2025). Brain region-specific gain modulation of place cells by VIP neurons. Nature Communications. 16. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-60679-4. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Gain modulation allows neurons to dynamically adjust their responsiveness to inputs without changing selectivity. While well-characterized in sensory areas, its role in higher-order brain regions governing spatial navigation and memory is unclear. Here, we used all-optical methods in mice performing a spatial task to demonstrate that vasoactive-intestinal peptide (VIP)-expressing neurons selectively control the gain of place cells and other cell types in the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) through disinhibition. Optogenetic manipulation revealed that this disinhibition, while broadly affecting network activity, selectively amplifies in-field place cell activity, improving spatial coding accuracy. In contrast, VIP neurons in the hippocampus have minimal impact on place field gain. Notably, simulations indicate that the benefit of gain modulation for RSC place cells is large compared to hippocampal place cells due to their much higher out-of-field activity and, therefore, lower signal-to-noise ratio. Here, we show an area-specific VIP-mediated gain control, enhancing spatial coding and, potentially, memory formation.

• Neubrandt, Mate; Lenkey, Nora Melinda & Vervaeke, Koen Gerard Alois (2025). VIP interneurons control hippocampal place cell remapping through transient disinhibition in novel environments. BioRxiv. ISSN 0362-4331. Full text in Research Archive
• Gianatti, Michele; Garvert, Anna Christina; Lenkey, Nora Melinda; Ebbesen, Nora Cecilie; Hennestad, Eivind & Vervaeke, Koen Gerard Alois (2023). Multiple long-range projections convey position information to the agranular retrosplenial cortex. Cell reports. 42(9). doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113109. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Neuronal signals encoding the animal’s position widely modulate neocortical processing. While these signals are assumed to depend on hippocampal output, their origin has not been investigated directly. Here, we asked which brain region sends position information to the retrosplenial cortex (RSC), a key circuit for memory and navigation. We comprehensively characterized the long-range inputs to agranular RSC using two-photon axonal imaging in head-fixed mice performing a spatial task in darkness. Surprisingly, most long-range pathways convey position information, but with notable differences. Axons from the secondary motor and posterior parietal cortex transmit the most position information. By contrast, axons from the anterior cingulate and orbitofrontal cortex and thalamus convey substantially less position information. Axons from the primary and secondary visual cortex contribute negligibly. This demonstrates that the hippocampus is not the only source of position information. Instead, the RSC is a hub in a distributed brain network that shares position information.

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