Event:

Animals as well as humans find their way around using an internal representation of the environment, often termed the cognitive map. A number of different cell types, primarily in the hippocampus and surrounding medial temporal lobe, are thought to form the neural basis of the cognitive map. Although computational theories give us important insight into how these cells can drive action, it is unclear the relative importance of these cells types for different spatial behaviors. In this talk I will discuss the work that has been done in understanding the myriad of spatial behaviors and spatial abilities in the attempt to understand the neural basis of the cognitive map in humans. First I will examine the types of memory and information necessary for successful spatial exploration and goalHdirected behavior in novel environments. Then I will explore what we know about the neural underpinnings of spatial processing from indirect measures such as fMRI, comparing and contrasting what we know from human single cell electrophysiology and lesion studies. Finally I will describe my current attempts to record from these cells in the human medial temporal lobe during different types of navigation behavior.