Grid Cells identified in Humans

Quote:

We all get lost sometimes. Luckily, specialised cells in the brain that help animals find their way have now been identified in humans for the first time. The discovery could lead to better treatments for people who have problems navigating. We know that animals use three cell types to navigate the world. Direction cells fire only when an animal is facing a particular direction, place cells fire only in a particular location, and grid cells fire at regular intervals as an animal moves around. To understand how grid cells work, imagine the carpet in front of you has a grid pattern of interlocking triangles. One grid cell will fire whenever you reach the corner of any triangle in that grid. Shift the grid pattern along ever so slightly to another section of the carpet, and another grid cell will be responsible for firing every time you reach the corners of that grid's triangles – and so on.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/...l#.Uf_ICUCIB8E



Here is a TED talk about them and similar neurons involved in spatial memory: http://www.ted.com/talks/neil_burges...e_you_are.html

via JREF Forum http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=263315&goto=newpost