Parallel and interrelated neural systems underlying adaptive navigation

The ability to process in parallel multiple forms of sensory information, and link sensory-sensory associations to behavior, presumably allows for the opportunistic use of the most reliable and predictive sensory modalities in diverse behavioral contexts. Evolutionary considerations indicate that such processing may represent a fundamental operating principle underlying complex sensory associations and sensory-motor integration. Here, we suggest that animal navigation is a particularly useful model of such opportunistic use of sensory and motor information because it is possible to study directly the effects of memory on neural system functions. First, comparative evidence for parallel processing across multiple brain structures during navigation is provided from the literatures on fish and rodent navigation. Then, based on neurophysiological evidence of coordinated, multiregional processing, we provide a neurobiological explanation of learning and memory effects on neural circuitry mediating navigation.