Mapping Humans’ Mental GPS | The Scientist Magazine®

Now, we need to find out once and for all whether male brains are better at directions than female!

First recognized in rats, humans may also owe their sense of direction in part to grid cells—neurons that fire in a triangular pattern and help keep track of navigational cues—according to a study published yesterday (August 4) in Nature Neuroscience. Recording the neuronal activities of people asked to locate invisible objects in a virtual environment, researchers at Drexel University observed grid-like firing in two regions of the brain, providing the most concrete evidence yet for the existence of grid cell activity in humans.

via Mapping Humans’ Mental GPS | The Scientist Magazine®.