Multiplexing of temporal and spatial information in the lateral entorhinal cortex

Episodic memory involves the processing of spatial and temporal aspects of personal experiences. The lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC) plays an essential role in subserving memory. However, the specific mechanism by which LEC integrates spatial and temporal information remains elusive. Here, we recorded LEC neurons while rats performed foraging and shuttling behaviors on one-dimensional, linear or circular tracks. Unlike open-field foraging tasks, many LEC cells displayed spatial firing fields in these tasks and demonstrated selectivity for traveling directions. Furthermore, some LEC neurons displayed changes in the firing rates of their spatial rate maps during a session, a phenomenon referred to as rate remapping. Importantly, this temporal modulation was consistent across sessions, even when the spatial environment was altered. Notably, the strength of temporal modulation was found to be greater in LEC compared to other brain regions, such as the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC), CA1, and CA3. Thus, the spatial rate mapping observed in LEC neurons may serve as a coding mechanism for temporal context, allowing for flexible multiplexing of spatial and temporal information.