In 1891, Paul Gauguin departed Paris for Tahiti, yearning for a more uncomplicated existence. Seven years later, he completed what he termed his masterpiece—a sprawling four-and-a-half-foot by twelve-foot canvas that delves into themes of youth and age, humanity, animals, and beyond. The painting bears a poignant inscription in the upper left corner: D’où Venons-Nous / Que Sommes-Nous / Où Allons-Nous—Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? While Gauguin sought simplicity, he grappled with profound inquiries.
Fast forward a century, and these questions remain as complex as ever, albeit approached from new perspectives. Advances in contemporary neuroscience are empowering us to explore these timeless inquiries, albeit sometimes devoid of philosophical warmth. Recently, the Nobel Foundation awarded the Prize in Physiology or Medicine to a trio of scientists for their groundbreaking work on the brain’s positioning system. Their discoveries contribute significantly to our understanding of how we ascertain our location in the world—a fundamental aspect of self-navigation that captivates neuroscientists today.
Navigating Mental Landscapes
Although Paul Gauguin was not a neuroscientist, May-Britt and Edvard Moser are leading figures in the field. While they might appear as an ordinary Norwegian couple, their Nobel Prize-winning research sets them apart. Together with John O’Keefe from University College London, the Mosers investigate the brain’s “place cells” and “grid cells,” which play integral roles in our spatial awareness.
Consider the sensation of recognizing your surroundings. This intricate interplay of vision and memory, conscious thought and subconscious understanding, raises questions about how our brains differentiate between being at the center of a room versus just a step to the left. The Mosers’ research goes beyond traditional methods; rather than using cheese as bait in mazes, they employ chocolate cereal to engage their subjects—rats.
Place cells and grid cells function similarly to a GPS system, though the analogy is not perfect. Your smartphone determines your location passively, receiving signals from satellites that constantly broadcast their positions and timestamps. When your phone collects enough data, it identifies your location—just as the brain’s mechanisms for determining position operate in a comparable fashion.
When O’Keefe first identified place cells in the 1970s, the discovery was surprising; these neurons activated in response to specific locations. This raised questions about the efficiency of the brain and the necessity of encoding every single spot we’ve occupied. However, thirty years later, the Mosers unveiled grid cells that align with a mental map, forming hexagonal patterns that help solve spatial orientation challenges. When these cells activate together, they provide a precise location, akin to satellites sending timestamps to your phone.
Exploring Our Paths Forward
I had the privilege of attending a lecture by Dr. Edvard Moser in Oxford, where his enthusiasm for the research was palpable. He embodies the spirit of inquiry, demonstrating a commitment to unraveling the complexities of neuroscience. This field delves into fundamental questions with intricate answers, examining how our cortex evolved, what cognitive traits set us apart from other species, and how learning processes may shift as we deepen our understanding.
As Gauguin queried, “Where are we going?”—the pursuit of these answers continues. Our new Nobel Laureates are shedding light on our current location in the vast landscape of knowledge.
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Summary
This article discusses the linkage between neuroscience and understanding our spatial awareness, inspired by Gauguin’s existential questions. It highlights the contributions of Nobel Prize winners May-Britt and Edvard Moser and John O’Keefe in uncovering how our brains navigate our environment through specialized neurons. Their work not only helps us address age-old inquiries about human existence but also underlines the ongoing exploration of where we come from and where we are headed.