Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Neuron Structure

Neuron Structure

Neurons are the main type of cell in the nervous system that generate and transmit electrochemical signals. They primarily communicate with each other using neurotransmitters at specific junctions called synapses. Neurons come in many shapes that often relate to their function, but most share three main structures: an axon and dendrites that extend out from a cell body.
Structure and Function of Neurons
The neuronal cell body—the soma— houses the nucleus and organelles vital to...

Storage

Storage

A schema is a mental framework that helps individuals organize and interpret information. Schemata, formed from previous experiences, influence how we process new information: how we encode it, the inferences we make, and how we retrieve it. For instance, a schema for what a typical classroom looks like might include desks, a teacher's desk, a whiteboard, and students in such an environment. This expectation helps us quickly understand and navigate new classrooms without needing to analyze...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Hippocampal theta sweeps indicate goal direction during navigation.

Nature neuroscience·2026

Same author

Hippocampo-neocortical interaction as compressive retrieval-augmented generation.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Acetylcholine: a candidate substrate for hippocampal predictive learning?

Nature reviews. Neuroscience·2026

Same author

Spatial encoding of a traumatic virtual reality scene reduces intrusive memories.

Social cognitive and affective neuroscience·2026

Same author

Head direction cells use a head-referenced dual-axis updating rule in 3D space.

Communications biology·2026

Same author

Path Integration in Alzheimer's Disease: Orientation, Movement, and Theta Rhythmicity.

Annual review of neuroscience·2026

Same journal

Daily briefing: 'Cyborg' cockroaches breathe underwater with printed suit.

Nature·2026

Same journal

China boosts prestigious grants for young scientists - will it ease competition?

Nature·2026

Same journal

Incoming US science academy chief vows to 'double down' on research.

Nature·2026

Same journal

Author Correction: Synthesis of enantioenriched atropisomers by biocatalytic deracemization.

Nature·2026

Same journal

Electrodeposited self-assembled molecules for perovskite photovoltaics.

Nature·2026

Same journal

Neutrino's nursery found: the 'Shadow Blaster'.

Nature·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 6, 2026

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection

Published on: August 26, 2011

Evidence for grid cells in a human memory network.

Christian F Doeller¹, Caswell Barry, Neil Burgess

¹UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, London WC1N 3AR, UK. c.doeller@ucl.ac.uk

|January 22, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Scientists found grid-cell-like brain activity in humans, similar to rats. This discovery in the entorhinal cortex and other brain regions advances our understanding of spatial navigation and memory.

More Related Videos

3D Scanning Technology Bridging Microcircuits and Macroscale Brain Images in 3D Novel Embedding Overlapping Protocol

3D Scanning Technology Bridging Microcircuits and Macroscale Brain Images in 3D Novel Embedding Overlapping Protocol

Published on: May 12, 2019

Recording Brain Activity with Ear-Electroencephalography

Recording Brain Activity with Ear-Electroencephalography

Published on: March 31, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 6, 2026

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection

Published on: August 26, 2011

3D Scanning Technology Bridging Microcircuits and Macroscale Brain Images in 3D Novel Embedding Overlapping Protocol

3D Scanning Technology Bridging Microcircuits and Macroscale Brain Images in 3D Novel Embedding Overlapping Protocol

Published on: May 12, 2019

Recording Brain Activity with Ear-Electroencephalography

Recording Brain Activity with Ear-Electroencephalography

Published on: March 31, 2023

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Systems Neuroscience
Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

Grid cells in rat brains create periodic spatial maps.
Their presence and function in humans remain largely unknown.
Understanding human grid cells is crucial for spatial cognition research.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the existence and brain distribution of grid-cell-like representations in humans.
To explore the relationship between grid cell activity, running speed, and spatial memory.
To validate findings using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in humans.

Main Methods:

Electrophysiology in rats to characterize grid cell firing patterns.
fMRI in humans navigating a virtual reality environment.
Analysis of fMRI signals for speed-modulated rotational symmetry.

Main Results:

Human fMRI data revealed speed-modulated six-fold rotational symmetry, indicative of grid-cell-like activity.
This signal was detected in a network including the entorhinal cortex, parietal, temporal, and prefrontal areas.
Activity in the entorhinal cortex showed the strongest effect and correlated with spatial memory performance.

Conclusions:

Provides evidence for grid-cell-like neural representations in the human brain.
Highlights the role of these representations in a network supporting spatial cognition and autobiographical memory.
Demonstrates the power of combining electrophysiology and fMRI for systems neuroscience research.