Nobel Prize for the discovery of the GPS system in the brain – Portal ecological

British scientist and a pair of Norwegian neuroscientists explain how the brain creates a map by which we are guided in space. Researchers have discovered a group of cells that continually analyze the surroundings, giving us a sense of orientation in space.

In 1971, John O’Keefe proved that in the main memory center – the hippocampus, there are so-called. cell space, so we know where we are. The second piece of the puzzle for more than 30 years later, the marriage was contributed from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. May-Britt and Edvard Moserowie discovered the so-called “grid cells” that navigate and decide on uncovering roads in the area.

“This discovery solved the problem, which for centuries occupied philosophers and scientists. This year’s Nobel laureates have discovered in the brain positioning system, internal GPS that allows us to orient themselves in space “- wrote in support of its decision, the members of the Committee.

The researchers hope that their findings will help in understanding the mechanism of spatial memory loss that is observed in Alzheimer’s disease.

Source: BBC News: “Nobel Prize for the brain’s GPS discovery” (http://www.bbc.com/news/health-29504761)