Vectorial representation of spatial goals in the hippocampus of bats

TLDR

Animals constantly navigate by moving from their current location to a new goal, and spatial maps in the brain use place cells to indicate current location. The study aims to clarify how navigational goals are represented in the brain. The authors identified neurons in bats that encode goal direction and distance relative to the bat’s current position, revealing the computations underlying spatial navigation. Sarel et al., Science, p.

Abstract

How to get to place B We constantly navigate around our environment. This means moving from our current location, place A, to a new goal, place B. We have recently learned much about spatial maps in the brain in which place cells indicate current location. However, it is unclear how navigational goals are represented in the brain. Sarel et al. describe a group of neurons in the brains of bats that are tuned to goal direction and distance relative to the bat's current position as it flies toward its goal. The finding elucidates the computations involved in spatial navigation. Science , this issue p. 176