UCLA

Spatial navigation depends on the brain’s ability to integrate internally computed self-motion cues with external landmarks to form flexible representations of space. Classical theories of the cognitive map and subsequent lesion studies have established a dissociation between hippocampal-dependent place learning and striatal response strategies, but most paradigms allow both path integration and landmark-based navigation to operate in tandem when studying these strategies. The present study introduces a novel behavioral framework that dissociates these systems, enabling direct assessment of whether path integration alone can support flexible spatial learning. By destabilizing the relationship between self-motion cues and external landmarks through continuous visual frame rotation (VC condition), we show that rats fail to form stable allocentric maps necessary for rapid reversal and novel route acquisition. In contrast, under a stable path integration (PI) condition, with or without a consistent landmark anchor, animals exhibited robust reversal performance and rapid novel route learning, demonstrating that path integration provides the scaffold essential for flexible adaptation. Chemogenetic inhibition of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) did not impair PI-supported reversal or novel route performance, suggesting that hippocampal computations can sustain flexible navigation when a coherent metric framework is preserved. These findings isolate the path integration system and show it is necessary for flexible spatial learning.