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Updated: Nov 11, 2025

Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain
Published on: October 13, 2023
The Versatile Wayfinder: Prefrontal Contributions to Spatial Navigation
Eva Zita Patai1, Hugo J Spiers2
1Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, UK; Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language sciences, University College London, UK.
Abstract:
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) supports decision-making, goal tracking, and planning. Spatial navigation is a behavior that taxes these cognitive processes, yet the role of the PFC in models of navigation has been largely overlooked. In humans, activity in dorsolateral PFC (dlPFC) and ventrolateral PFC (vlPFC) during detours, reveal a role in inhibition and replanning. Dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) is implicated in planning and spontaneous internally-generated changes of route. Orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) integrates representations of the environment with the value of actions, providing a 'map' of possible decisions. In rodents, medial frontal areas interact with hippocampus during spatial decisions and switching between navigation strategies. In reviewing these advances, we provide a framework for how different prefrontal regions may contribute to different stages of navigation.
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