Affiliations: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Jeffrey S. Taube, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, 6207 Moore Hall, Hanover, NH 03755, USA. Tel.: +1 603 646 1306; Fax: +1 603 646 1419; E-mail: jeffrey.taube@dartmouth.edu
Abstract: Vestibular information is an important factor in maintaining accurate spatial awareness. Yet, each of the cortical areas involved in processing vestibular information has unique functionality. Further, the anatomical pathways that provide vestibular input for cognitive processes are also distinct. This review outlines some of the current understanding of vestibular pathways contributing to the perception of self-motion in the cortex. The vestibulo-thalamic pathway is associated with self-motion cues for updating motor behaviors, spatial representations, and self versus object motion distinctions. The mammillo-tegmental pathway supplies vestibular input to create a cognitive representation of head direction. Self-motion and head direction information then converge to define self-location. By outlining the functional anatomy of the vestibular cortical pathways, a multi-sensory and multi-faceted view of vestibular related spatial awareness emerges.
Keywords: MST, PIVC, 7a, 3av, cingulate, VIP, frontal cortex, head direction cells, place cells, grid cells, path integration, self-motion, orientation, navigation, vestibular
