The study investigates the intracellular dynamics of hippocampal place cells during virtual navigation in head-restrained mice. The authors developed a virtual reality system using a spherical treadmill and a toroidal screen to present a computer-generated visual environment. Mice were trained to run along a virtual linear track, and their behavior was analyzed to assess the spatial understanding of the virtual environment. Whole cell recordings were obtained from hippocampal neurons during these behaviors, revealing three subthreshold signatures of place fields: an asymmetric ramp-like depolarization of the baseline membrane potential, an increase in the amplitude of intracellular theta oscillations, and a phase precession of intracellular theta oscillations relative to the extracellularly recorded theta rhythm. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying hippocampal coding and suggest that the soma-dendritic interference (SDI) model may better explain the observed intracellular dynamics. The virtual reality system developed in this study will enable further exploration of neural circuits underlying navigation.The study investigates the intracellular dynamics of hippocampal place cells during virtual navigation in head-restrained mice. The authors developed a virtual reality system using a spherical treadmill and a toroidal screen to present a computer-generated visual environment. Mice were trained to run along a virtual linear track, and their behavior was analyzed to assess the spatial understanding of the virtual environment. Whole cell recordings were obtained from hippocampal neurons during these behaviors, revealing three subthreshold signatures of place fields: an asymmetric ramp-like depolarization of the baseline membrane potential, an increase in the amplitude of intracellular theta oscillations, and a phase precession of intracellular theta oscillations relative to the extracellularly recorded theta rhythm. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying hippocampal coding and suggest that the soma-dendritic interference (SDI) model may better explain the observed intracellular dynamics. The virtual reality system developed in this study will enable further exploration of neural circuits underlying navigation.