How do grid cells relate to human navigation?
The principles we uncovered with grid cells in rodents are fundamental and, we believe, apply to human spatial cognition as well. While direct single-neuron recordings in humans are challenging, studies using fMRI and other neuroimaging techniques show activity patterns in the human entorhinal cortex consistent with grid cell function. This suggests that our brain's capacity to navigate complex environments, remember routes, and even form abstract representations of space relies on these underlying neural mechanisms. Understanding grid cells offers a window into how we construct and interact with the spatial world around us.
Ask May-Britt Moser the follow-up →