Navigating cognition: Spatial codes for human thinking

The hippocampal formation has long been suggested to underlie both memory formation and spatial navigation. We discuss how neural mechanisms identified in spatial navigation research operate across information domains to support a wide spectrum of cognitive functions. In our framework, place and gri...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 362; no. 6415
Main Authors: Bellmund, Jacob L S, Gärdenfors, Peter, Moser, Edvard I, Doeller, Christian F
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States 09.11.2018
Subjects:
Animals
Brain Mapping
Cognition - physiology
Hippocampus - physiology
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Spatial Navigation - physiology
Thinking - physiology
ISSN:1095-9203, 1095-9203
Online Access:Get more information
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Summary:The hippocampal formation has long been suggested to underlie both memory formation and spatial navigation. We discuss how neural mechanisms identified in spatial navigation research operate across information domains to support a wide spectrum of cognitive functions. In our framework, place and grid cell population codes provide a representational format to map variable dimensions of cognitive spaces. This highly dynamic mapping system enables rapid reorganization of codes through remapping between orthogonal representations across behavioral contexts, yielding a multitude of stable cognitive spaces at different resolutions and hierarchical levels. Action sequences result in trajectories through cognitive space, which can be simulated via sequential coding in the hippocampus. In this way, the spatial representational format of the hippocampal formation has the capacity to support flexible cognition and behavior.
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ISSN:1095-9203
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.aat6766