Overview

• In a circular arena with ambiguous light cues, distinct ensembles of retrosplenial cortex neurons encoded simultaneous location hypotheses in mice.
• These recurrent neural dynamics maintained competing activity patterns until sufficient spatial information was gathered.
• Once landmark identity became unambiguous, RSC ensembles collapsed into the single pattern representing the correct reward port.
• Optogenetic or pharmacological disruption of RSC circuits impaired mice’s ability to resolve landmark ambiguity and navigate accurately.
• The results illuminate core mechanisms of spatial reasoning and point to potential interventions for navigation and memory impairments in neurological disorders.