How the brain makes maps of space from your viewpoint and the world's viewpoint
CRCNS: Neural circuits for egocentric and allocentric cognitive maps in humans
Researchers will record brain cell activity in people to learn how the brain builds mental maps of places from your own viewpoint and from a world-centered viewpoint to support navigation and memory.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11143945 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would perform virtual-reality navigation tasks while researchers record activity from brain electrodes placed for clinical monitoring, and they will use computer models to link those signals to navigation and memory. The team will search for neurons that encode locations relative to you (egocentric) and neurons that encode locations relative to the external environment (allocentric), including cells tuned to boundaries, objects, and reference points. They will also study how these cell patterns reactivate when you recall places or routes. The project aims to map the brain circuits that support navigation and memory, which are often disrupted in conditions like Alzheimer's disease.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are patients undergoing intracranial brain monitoring (for example, people with medically treated epilepsy) who can complete virtual-reality tasks during their clinical evaluation.
Not a fit: People who are not undergoing invasive brain monitoring or who cannot perform virtual-reality tasks (including many people with advanced Alzheimer's) are unlikely to directly participate or benefit from this study.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could clarify why people with Alzheimer's and related conditions have trouble navigating and remembering places and point to new targets for diagnosis or therapies.
How similar studies have performed: Prior human studies have successfully recorded place and grid cells and recently identified egocentric cells, but combining single-neuron recordings with computational models to map both egocentric and allocentric circuits is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Columbia University Health Sciences — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jacobs, Joshua — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Jacobs, Joshua
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.