Spatial cognition and navigation
Recent articles
Response to ‘Finally, a new route for the magnetic-sense field’
Magnetoreception in Drosophila has much to offer those with an interest in neuroscience.
Response to ‘Finally, a new route for the magnetic-sense field’
Magnetoreception in Drosophila has much to offer those with an interest in neuroscience.
Finally, a new route for the magnetic-sense field
Researchers have dueled for years over how the magnetic sense works. New data from monarch butterflies could finally help settle the debate.
Finally, a new route for the magnetic-sense field
Researchers have dueled for years over how the magnetic sense works. New data from monarch butterflies could finally help settle the debate.
Fruit flies use memory to track odors
When flies encounter a tasty smell, they stroll in and out of the odor plume—a process that depends on encoding a memory of the angle needed to travel back to the plume, according to a new study.
Fruit flies use memory to track odors
When flies encounter a tasty smell, they stroll in and out of the odor plume—a process that depends on encoding a memory of the angle needed to travel back to the plume, according to a new study.
New findings begin to resolve theta sweep debate
Theta sweeps have been mired in controversy for decades, but the field is starting to converge on a consensus view of their function.
New findings begin to resolve theta sweep debate
Theta sweeps have been mired in controversy for decades, but the field is starting to converge on a consensus view of their function.
‘Completely new learning mechanism’ drives navigation in fruit flies
The neuromodulator octopamine, the insect counterpart to norepinephrine, helps flies get their bearings in an unfamiliar environment.
‘Completely new learning mechanism’ drives navigation in fruit flies
The neuromodulator octopamine, the insect counterpart to norepinephrine, helps flies get their bearings in an unfamiliar environment.
Head direction cells stably orient mice to outside world
The cells’ representations show little drift over time—unlike those of other navigation system neurons—and may provide a “rigid backbone” for more flexible sensory and cognitive responses.
Head direction cells stably orient mice to outside world
The cells’ representations show little drift over time—unlike those of other navigation system neurons—and may provide a “rigid backbone” for more flexible sensory and cognitive responses.
Neuroscience has a species problem
If our field is serious about building general principles of brain function, cross-species dialogue must become a core organizing principle rather than an afterthought.
Neuroscience has a species problem
If our field is serious about building general principles of brain function, cross-species dialogue must become a core organizing principle rather than an afterthought.
This paper changed my life: John Tuthill reflects on the subjectivity of selfhood
Wittlinger, Wehner and Wolf’s 2006 “stilts and stumps” Science paper revealed how ants pull off extraordinary feats of navigation using a biological odometer, and it inspired Tuthill to consider how other insects sense their own bodies.
This paper changed my life: John Tuthill reflects on the subjectivity of selfhood
Wittlinger, Wehner and Wolf’s 2006 “stilts and stumps” Science paper revealed how ants pull off extraordinary feats of navigation using a biological odometer, and it inspired Tuthill to consider how other insects sense their own bodies.
Neuroscience’s leaders, legacies and rising stars of 2025
Here are seven stories from the past year about some of the field’s most engaging figures.
Neuroscience’s leaders, legacies and rising stars of 2025
Here are seven stories from the past year about some of the field’s most engaging figures.
Diving in with Nachum Ulanovsky
With an eye toward realism, the neuroscientist creates microcosms of the natural world to understand animal behavior.
Diving in with Nachum Ulanovsky
With an eye toward realism, the neuroscientist creates microcosms of the natural world to understand animal behavior.
Explore more from The Transmitter
How new technologies can bring primatologists and systems neuroscientists together
The two groups study the same behavioral phenomena yet rarely interact or read each other's work—a mutual blind spot that weakens both fields. New technologies offer a chance to bring them together.
How new technologies can bring primatologists and systems neuroscientists together
The two groups study the same behavioral phenomena yet rarely interact or read each other's work—a mutual blind spot that weakens both fields. New technologies offer a chance to bring them together.
Creating community through grant support
Fiona Sanderson, a senior program manager at the Brain Canada Foundation, shares how she got into grant administration and how she helps connect researchers with funding and one another.
Creating community through grant support
Fiona Sanderson, a senior program manager at the Brain Canada Foundation, shares how she got into grant administration and how she helps connect researchers with funding and one another.
This paper changed my life: A first glimpse into the ‘middle’ of brain processing
Work by Jeffrey Moran and Robert Desimone showed that monkeys could focus their attention on different stimuli in their visual field without shifting their gaze. Their work marked a key milestone in the emergence of cognitive neuroscience.
This paper changed my life: A first glimpse into the ‘middle’ of brain processing
Work by Jeffrey Moran and Robert Desimone showed that monkeys could focus their attention on different stimuli in their visual field without shifting their gaze. Their work marked a key milestone in the emergence of cognitive neuroscience.