The neural correlates of navigation beyond the hippocampus.

ABSTRACT

Navigation is a complex cognitive process that is vital for survival. The rodent hippocampus has long been implicated in spatial memory and navigation. Following the discovery of place cells, found in the hippocampus, a variety of other spatially tuned neural correlates of navigation have been found in a widely distributed network that is both anatomically and functionally interconnected with the hippocampus. Angular head velocity, head direction, and grid cells are among some of the additional spatial neural correlates. The importance of these different cells and how they function interdependently to subserve navigation is reviewed below.