How Do We Find Our Way? Grid Cells in the Brain

Abstract

Navigation in the environment, getting from one place to another, is one of the most fundamental and vital skills in the animal kingdom, and for humans, too. To navigate successfully, an animal needs to create an internal “cognitive map” of the outside environment. This is performed by a specific system in the brain, containing several brain regions and various cell types, each with its unique role in navigation. In this article, I will outline some of the main components of this internal navigation system, focusing on the grid cells, an amazing and surprising group of nerve cells that we discovered, which create a coordinate system in the brain. I will end with a few general recommendations for you, based on my own life experiences.