Sometimes you wonder why the labs with all the funding (not just this one! This is just one example) do not do slightly more risky experiments instead of rediscovering the wheel.. 🤔 This is something anyone who records in hippocampus has observed and there's even specific papers about it.

Place cells in CA1 lack topographical organization of firing locations

See for example Redish et al., 2001: Independence of Firing Correlates of Anatomically Proximate Hippocampal Pyramidal Cells from @adredish (at least it is cited)

#PlaceCells #Hippocampus #SpatialCognition

Can humans and animals really use internal maps to navigate and take shortcuts?

Tolman famously argued "yes" - based largely on his Sunburst maze experiment.

However, our new review & meta-analysis suggests the evidence is far weaker than you might think.
🧵👇 https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.70365
1/

#neuroESC #navigation #neuroscience #neuroethology #SpatialCognition #AnimalBehaviour #shortcutting #cognitivemap #tolman

Hello Mastodon 👋

I study how brains navigate space - from 2D mazes to fully 3D environments. My focus is on hippocampal place cells, entorhinal grid cells, and head direction cells, combining behavior, electrophysiology, and computational models.

I’m here to share lab findings, discuss interesting papers, and explore how animals map and move through the world.

Occasionally, I’ll highlight moments when the brain does something unexpectedly clever (or confusing).

Excited to meet people in neuroscience and beyond. Always happy to chat about space, brains, or just interesting science in general. 🧠🌍

#neuroesc #navigation #neuroscience #neuroethology #introduction #SpatialCognition

Very cool retrospective AND review of the hippocampal #SpatialCognition field from Neil Burgess:
Oscillations and Boundaries in My Route Through the Hippocampal Cognitive Map

Mentions @adredish @tom_hartley and many others, unfortunately not on Mastodon I think
#Neuroscience #PlaceCells #GridCells #Hippocampus #ThetaRhythm

My colleague asks what is a good and easy-to-use software to create and run #VirtualReality experiments in humans?
Something that works with one of those VR headsets, but ideally would also work on a normal computer screen in a non VR version... Their experience with coding is mostly with Matlab... Any suggestions?

#SpatialCognition #Psychology

Paper resubmitted! ✅ 🤞It's a review about the #Tolman #Sunburst maze and how, despite many attempts, its results have not been consistently replicated (at all)... And no, the light is not really the problem!
I'll post a thread when / if it comes out!

Written with Roddy Grieves in the #NeuroESC lab!

#Neuroscience #SpatialCognition

Musicians demonstrate better whole-body spatial cognition than non-musicians.

Summary: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-musicians-drift-blindfolded-musical-cognitive.html

Original paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010945225002680

#Science #Music #SpatialCognition

#SpatialCognition question: any studies that show that if you learn a response (e.g. "turn left at choice point) in one environment, you are more likely to repeat this response in a new environment?

So, "response #generalisation" ?

I'm pretty sure this is a thing but can't find a good study to cite about it...

#SpatialNavigation #Neuroscience

People who use rats in #SpatialCognition tasks, or decision-making tasks, which strain do you prefer? 🐀

(Ideally, please comment on why!)
(Multiple choices possible if you really have to)

#NeuroRats #Neuroscience #SpatialNavigation