Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 8, 2026

Micropatterning Transmission Electron Microscopy Grids to Direct Cell Positioning within Whole-Cell Cryo-Electron Tomography Workflows
Published on: September 13, 2021
Framing of grid cells within and beyond navigation boundaries
Francesco Savelli1, J D Luck1, James J Knierim1,2
1Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, United States.
Grid cells, crucial for spatial navigation, are influenced by both immediate surroundings and distant environmental cues. This research reveals how these factors interact to shape the brain's cognitive map.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Spatial Navigation
Background:
- Grid cells are fundamental components of the brain's cognitive map.
- Previous research primarily focused on local geometric boundaries influencing grid cell activity.
- Complex navigation suggests input from cues beyond immediate surroundings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of remote spatial cues on grid cell activity.
- To understand how local and remote cues interact in spatial representation.
- To explore allocentric determinants of the brain's cognitive map.
Main Methods:
- Recorded grid cell activity in rats navigating an open-field platform.
- Manipulated the platform's orientation relative to salient remote environmental cues.
- Analyzed grid cell responses to changes in local and remote frames of reference.
Main Results:
- Grid cells showed responses influenced by both local geometric boundaries and remote cues.
- Remote cues exerted a consistent, sometimes dominant, countervailing influence on grid cell firing.
- The interplay between local and remote cues provides a richer spatial representation.
Conclusions:
- Grid cells integrate information from both local and remote spatial cues.
- This dual input mechanism supports complex navigational and mnemonic processes.
- Findings align with previous studies on hippocampal place cells, highlighting integrated spatial coding.
More Related Videos
09:56Mapping the Emergent Spatial Organization of Mammalian Cells using Micropatterns and Quantitative Imaging
Published on: April 30, 2019
07:09Integrating Visual Psychophysical Assays within a Y-Maze to Isolate the Role that Visual Features Play in Navigational Decisions
Published on: May 2, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Design Example: Marking Boundaries of a Site Using a Compass
Design Example: Alignment of a Road Line Using GIS
Areas Within Irregular Boundaries
Framing Effects
Cell Migration
Cell Migration