On the function of object cells in the claustrum—key components in information processing in the visual system?

A recent paper by Jankowski and O'Mara (2015) throws new light on the function of the claustrum. These authors took recordings from 874 claustral neurons in unanesthetized behaving rats that showed responses probably anchored to visual stimuli. These fell into three categories—“place” neurons (38) that responded to the location of the rat, “boundary” neurons (23) that responded to boundaries closing the rat's environment, and “object” neurons (48) that fired only in response to the existence of a specific object in the environment. All three types of response showed with good within-session stability. Of particular interest in the present context are the object cells. These code the position in space of an object in the environment and not its particular properties (e.g., shape, texture, color). They also follow an object when it moves in the environment. Some object neurons can follow multiple objects (up to 3). Object neurons are also found in the subiculum, and in the anterior entorhinal, perirhinal, and anterior cingulate cortices with which areas the claustrum has extensive connections.