Category: Neural Basis of Navigation

How left–right-alternating theta sweeps in the entorhinal–hippocampal positioning system provides an efficient ‘look around’ mechanism for sampling locations beyond the travelled path?

Abraham Z. Vollan, Richard J. Gardner, May-Britt Moser & Edvard I. Moser. Left–right-alternating theta sweeps in entorhinal–hippocampal maps of space. Nature (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08527-1

Abstract
Place cells in the hippocampus and grid cells in the entorhinal cortex are elements

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How does the brain actually represent the real world with its complex, multianimal settings?

Saikat Ray, Itay Yona, Nadav Elami, Shaked Palgi, Kenneth W. Latimer, Bente Jacobsen, Menno P. Witter, Liora Las, and Nachum Ulanovsky. Hippocampal coding of identity, sex, hierarchy, and affiliation in a social group of wild fruit bats. Science 387,eadk9385(2025). …

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How behavior incorporated into visual compass like route learning and recapitulation strategies might enable convergence to a learned route and its destination?

Amany Azevedo Amin, Andrew Philippides, Paul Graham. Ant visual route navigation: How the fine details of behaviour promote successful route performance and convergence. bioRxiv 2025.01.16.633342; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.16.633342

Abstract
“Individually foraging ants use egocentric views as a dominant navigation strategy …

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How does one brain circuit encode memories of both places and events?

Sarthak Chandra, Sugandha Sharma, Rishidev Chaudhuri & Ila Fiete. Episodic and associative memory from spatial scaffolds in the hippocampus. Nature (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08392-y

Abstract
“Hippocampal circuits in the brain enable two distinct cognitive functions: the construction of spatial maps for

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How grid cell firing patterns rapidly adapt to novel or changing environmental features on a timescale relevant to behaviour?

Wen, J.H., Sorscher, B., Aery Jones, E.A. et al. One-shot entorhinal maps enable flexible navigation in novel environments. Nature (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08034-3

Abstract
Animals must navigate changing environments to find food, shelter or mates. In mammals, grid cells in …

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How the representations of space and time interact in the hippocampal memory system?

Chen, Shijie, Ning Cheng, Xiaojing Chen, and Cheng Wang. “Integration and competition between space and time in the hippocampus.” Neuron (2024).

Summary
“Episodic memory is organized in both spatial and temporal contexts. The hippocampus is crucial for episodic

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How learning-associated astrocyte ensembles regulate memory recall?

Williamson, M.R., Kwon, W., Woo, J. et al. Learning-associated astrocyte ensembles regulate memory recall. Nature (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08170-w

Abstract
The physical manifestations of memory formation and recall are fundamental questions that remain unresolved1. At the cellular level, ensembles …

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How bats use environmental acoustic information to perform acoustic cognitive map–based navigation?

Aya Goldshtein, Xing Chen, Eran Amichai, Arjan Boonman, Lee Harten, Omer Yinon,Yotam Orchan, Ran Nathan, Sivan Toledo, Iain D. Couzin, Yossi Yovel. Acoustic cognitive map–based navigation in echolocating bats.Science 386,561-567(2024).DOI:10.1126/science.adn6269

Editor’s summary
“Insectivorous bats are well known to use …

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Where visual objects are encoded in the mouse brain or how visual objects impact processing within the spatial navigation system?

Dominique Siegenthaler, Henry Denny, Sofía Skromne Carrasco, Johanna Luise Mayer, Adrien Peyrache, Stuart Trenholm, Émilie Macé. Visual objects refine head direction coding. bioRxiv 2024.10.21.619417; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.10.21.619417

Abstract
Animals use visual objects to guide navigation-related behaviors, from hunting prey,

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What are the mechanisms of memory-supporting neuronal dynamics in hippocampal area CA3?

Li, Yiding, John J. Briguglio, Sandro Romani, Jeffrey C. Magee, Eddy Kinganda-Lusamaki, Adrienne Amuri-Aziza, Nicolas Fernandez-Nuñez et al. “Mechanisms of memory-supporting neuronal dynamics in hippocampal area CA3.” Cell 187 (2024): 2030-2051.

 

Summary
Hippocampal CA3 is central to

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How zebrafish place cells integrate multiple sources of information and flexibly remap to form distinct spatial maps?

Yang, C., Mammen, L., Kim, B. et al. A population code for spatial representation in the zebrafish telencephalon. Nature (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07867-2

Abstract
“Spatial learning in teleost fish requires an intact telencephalon1, a brain region that contains putative analogues to …

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How hippocampal neuronal activity is aligned with action plans?

Ipshita Zutshi, Athina Apostolelli, Wannan Yang, Zheyang Zheng, Tora Dohi, Edoardo Balzani, Alex Williams, Cristina Savin, Gyorgy Buzsaki. Hippocampal neuronal activity is aligned with action plans.

Abstract
Neurons in the hippocampus are correlated with

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How ants use latent learning without map-like representation of space to navigate?

Leo Clement, Sebastian Schwarz, Antoine Wystrach. Latent learning without map-like representation of space in navigating ants. bioRxiv 2024.08.29.610243; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.08.29.610243

Abstract
“Desert ants are excellent navigators. Each individual learns long foraging routes meandering between the trees and bushes in …

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How abstract representations are encoded in populations of hippocampal neurons, how they emerge through learning and how they relate to behaviour?

Courellis, H.S., Minxha, J., Cardenas, A.R. et al. Abstract representations emerge in human hippocampal neurons during inference. Nature (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07799-x

Abstract
Humans have the remarkable cognitive capacity to rapidly adapt to changing environments. Central to this capacity …

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How the hippocampus supports episodic and spatial memory at the same time?

Alexander Nitsch, Naomi de Haas, Mona M. Garvert, Christian F. Doeller. Integrating episodic and spatial context signals in the hippocampus. bioRxiv 2024.06.24.600445; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.06.24.600445

Abstract
Episodic and spatial memory are the two key components of the mnemonic system

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