Cited by 2,024Memory and Neural MechanismsSpatial Cognition and NavigationNeurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms

Path integration and the neural basis of the 'cognitive map'

McNaughton, Bruce L., Battaglia, Francesco P., Jensen, Ole, Moser, Edvard I, Moser, May-Britt·2006·Nature Reviews Neuroscience

Abstract

The hippocampal formation can encode relative spatial location, without reference to external cues, by the integration of linear and angular self-motion (path integration). Theoretical studies, in conjunction with recent empirical discoveries, suggest that the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) might perform some of the essential underlying computations by means of a unique, periodic synaptic matrix that could be self-organized in early development through a simple, symmetry-breaking operation. The scale at which space is represented increases systematically along the dorsoventral axis in both the hippocampus and the MEC, apparently because of systematic variation in the gain of a movement-speed signal. Convergence of spatially periodic input at multiple scales, from so-called grid cells in the entorhinal cortex, might result in non-periodic spatial firing patterns (place fields) in the hippocampus.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1038/nrn1932

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134 of 134 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Place cells have been found to be dependent on environment and task context.

    “Place cells, which serve as a main motivation, have also been found to be dependent on environment and task context [7, 14].”
  • Path integration serves as a basis for building cognitive maps, and it is universally observed from insects to mammals.

    “Path integration serves as a basis for building cognitive maps, and it is universally observed from insects to mammals (McNaughton et al., 2006; Wang, 2016).”
  • Idiothetic information enables the animal to update its position in space based on path integration whereas an allocentric reference frame orients, constrains and stabilizes the animal's internal position estimate.

    “Idiothetic information enables the animal to update its position in space based on path integration whereas an allocentric reference frame (that is, combination of landmarks and geometric boundaries) orients, constrains and stabilizes the animal’s internal position estimate13,14.”
  • Place cells, hippocampal neurons that fire when the animal occupies a particular location, are proposed as the higher instance of a brain system that builds map-like spatial memory representations anchored in the external world, contributing to allocentric navigation.

    “The “place cells”, i.e., hippocampal neurons that fire when the animal occupies a particular location of the space, have been proposed to be the higher instance of a brain system that builds up map-like spatial memory representations anchored in the external world, contributing to the neural computations required for allocentric navigation [39,72,74,197,198].”

    From Spatial Cognition in Teleost Fish: Strategies and Mechanisms (2021) · cites this paper as [197]

  • HD cells maintain a consistent sense of direction through path integration, referring back to the environment periodically to recalibrate when error has accumulated.

    “Rather, they maintain a consistent sense of direction through path integration37, only referring back to the environment periodically to recalibrate when error has accumulated10.”

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Authors
McNaughton, B. L., Battaglia, F. P., Jensen, O., Moser, E. I., & Moser, M.-B.
Affiliations
  • University of Arizona (US)
  • University of Amsterdam (NL)
  • Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging (NL)
  • Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NO)
Corresponding author
McNaughton, Bruce L.
Venue
Nature Reviews Neuroscience
Published
2006-08-01
Volume
7
Issue
8
Pages
663-678
ISSN
  • 1471-003X (ISSN-L)
  • 1471-0048
OpenAlex
W2008936540
Cited by
2,024
References
134
Citations by year
2026: 99 · 2025: 136 · 2024: 136 · 2023: 106 · 2022: 108 · 2021: 107 · 2020: 105 · 2019: 123 · 2018: 120 · 2017: 132 · 2016: 92 · 2015: 108 · 2014: 108 · 2013: 109 · 2012: 81
FWCI
5.74
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Nature reviews. Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (publishedVersion)
  • Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Automotive Engineering › Spatial Cognition and Navigation
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
Keywords
path integration, cognitive maps, hippocampus, medial entorhinal cortex, grid cells, place fields, self-motion cues, symmetry breaking, spatial representation, spatial memory, developmental neuroscience
MeSH terms
Animals, Brain Mapping, Cognition, Hippocampus, Humans, Nerve Net, Neural Pathways

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