Open Lecture — Circuitry and Mathematical Codes for Navigation in the Brain

I will review key aspects of the problem of navigation and describe the brain's circuits that participate in navigation. These circuits contain cells with remarkable responses to spatial variables, and include head-direction cells, grid cells, and place cells. I'll illustrate the head-direction circuit and code across species from insects to mammals. I'll focus on the bizzare, non-local, periodic code of grid-cells for spatial location, a non-periodic, local quantity. Finally, given that spatial computations unfold over time, I will review theoretical and experimental efforts that show the temporal dynamics of navigational computations. I will mention open questions throughout.

Light refreshments will be served before the lecture at 3:30 p.m.