The neural encoding of self-motion

► I examine the coding strategies that are used by the brain to create neural representations of self-motion. ► Combining the responses of multiple central vestibular neurons leads to detection values that approach behavioral thresholds. ► Extra-vestibular cues also contribute to the construction of neural estimates of self-motion. ► Neurons commonly perform a linear/weighted summation of multimodal input to compute passive, but not active, self-motion. ► Differences in the behavioral context govern the nature of what defines the brain's optimal computation.