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Related Concept Videos

Storage01:23

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 each...
Functional Brain Systems: Limbic System01:15

Functional Brain Systems: Limbic System

The limbic system, often called the "emotional brain," is a complex set of structures located deep within the brain. The intricate network of the limbic system supports a wide range of psychological functions, from emotional regulation to memory formation and sensory processing. This functional brain region encompasses specific parts of the diencephalon and the cerebrum, integrating the higher mental functions of the cerebral cortex with the primitive emotional responses of the deep brain...
System of Memory01:23

System of Memory

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Visual System01:26

Visual System

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Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...
Schemas01:42

Schemas

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Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory01:14

Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory

The cerebellum, while traditionally associated with motor control, also plays a crucial role in memory, particularly in procedural memory, which involves learning motor tasks that become automatic through repetition. For example, studies have shown that when the cerebellum is damaged, individuals or animals lose the ability to learn conditioned motor responses, such as the conditioned eye-blink response in classical conditioning experiments with rabbits. This study demonstrates the cerebellum's...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 28, 2026

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition
05:15

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

Published on: February 19, 2018

From cells to systems: grids and boundaries in spatial memory.

Christian F Doeller1, Caswell Barry, Neil Burgess

  • 1Radboud University Nijmegen, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. christian.doeller@donders.ru.nl

The Neuroscientist : a Review Journal Bringing Neurobiology, Neurology and Psychiatry
|October 1, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Understanding spatial cognition, crucial for navigation and memory, can be studied using virtual reality. This technology bridges rodent electrophysiology and human brain imaging to explore neural mechanisms of how we know where we are.

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Related Experiment Videos

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Utilizing a Reconfigurable Maze System to Enhance the Reproducibility of Spatial Navigation Tests in Rodents

Published on: December 2, 2022

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Spatial Cognition

Background:

  • Spatial orientation is fundamental to daily navigation and serves as a model for understanding cognition and memory.
  • Studying spatial behavior provides accessible correlates of neuronal activity across species and age groups.
  • Virtual reality (VR) enables controlled investigation of neural mechanisms underlying spatial behavior in humans and rodents.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To translate findings from single-cell electrophysiology in rodents to the neural and systems level mechanisms of spatial cognition in the human brain.
  • To leverage VR technology to bridge the gap between rodent and human spatial cognition research.
  • To enhance understanding of the neural basis of how humans and animals navigate and form spatial memories.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing virtual reality technologies for controlled investigation of spatial behavior in humans and rodents.
  • Comparing electrophysiological studies in rodents with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies in humans.
  • Analyzing single-cell activity and systems-level brain function related to spatial orientation.

Main Results:

  • Spatial cognition research using VR provides a unified framework for studying navigation and memory.
  • VR facilitates the translation of rodent neural data to human brain imaging studies.
  • Identified potential neural correlates of spatial cognition applicable across species.

Conclusions:

  • Virtual reality is a powerful tool for investigating the neural underpinnings of spatial cognition.
  • Bridging research between rodents and humans using VR enhances our understanding of memory and navigation.
  • Spatial cognition research offers insights into broader cognitive and memory formation processes.