When Paul Gauguin made his way from Paris to Tahiti in 1891, he was on a quest for simplicity. Seven years later, he unveiled what he called his masterpiece—a sprawling four-and-a-half by twelve-foot canvas that delved into themes of youth, age, humanity, and existence itself. In the corner of this work, he inscribed a thought-provoking title: D’où Venons-Nous / Que Sommes-Nous / Où Allons-Nous—Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? Gauguin may have embraced a simpler life, but he certainly tackled some profound questions.
Fast forward a century, and while these questions remain as complex as ever, we’re now exploring them through the lens of modern neuroscience. Recently, the Nobel Foundation honored three scientists for their groundbreaking work on the brain’s positioning system. Their discoveries are fundamental to understanding how we perceive our location in the world. This essential inquiry into our sense of self and navigation is what drives today’s neuroscientists.
Understanding Our Mental Maps
While Gauguin was an artist, May-Britt and Edvard Moser are the neuroscientists making waves today. They might seem like your average Norwegian couple, but their Nobel Prize win speaks volumes about their contributions to science. Together with John O’Connor from University College London, the Mosers have delved into the fascinating world of place and grid cells in the brain, which help us answer the elusive question of where we are.
Have you ever tried to put into words the feeling of being in a familiar space? It’s a strange blend of sight and memory, conscious thought and subconscious cues. How does our brain differentiate between standing in the middle of a room versus just a step to the left? These intriguing considerations conjure images of a typical scientist scrutinizing a rat in a maze. Picture May-Britt Moser—though instead of cheese, her lab rats munch on chocolate cereal.
Place cells and grid cells aren’t quite the GPS units of our brains, but they certainly serve a similar purpose. Just like your smartphone doesn’t constantly ping satellites for updates, your brain doesn’t actively seek out every tiny detail of your surroundings. It’s more about receiving signals. GPS satellites continuously broadcast their positions and the time, allowing your device to pinpoint your location. Similarly, when the brain receives input from the right cells, it can ascertain where you are in the world.
In the 1970s, O’Connor’s discovery of place cells revealed that these neurons activate when a rat occupies a specific spot. It was surprising that the brain would encode individual locations—a seemingly inefficient method. But the Mosers have since identified grid cells that work in harmony with place cells, firing in response to a hexagonally arranged mental map. When several of these grid cells activate simultaneously, the corresponding place cell responds, pinpointing your location much like a GPS device.
Where Are We Headed?
I had the pleasure of attending a talk by Edvard Moser in Oxford recently, and his enthusiasm for his research was contagious. He exudes a mix of charisma and pride in the discoveries he and May-Britt have made. Neuroscience is a field rife with simple questions that yield complex answers. What led to the evolution of our cortex? (Where do we come from?) What sets our cognitive abilities apart from other species? (What are we?) How do we learn and teach, and how might these processes evolve in the future? We’re still grappling with these inquiries, but the Mosers are shedding light on the question of where we are.
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Summary:
This article highlights the recent Nobel Prize winners, May-Britt and Edvard Moser, and their research on how our brains determine location. Their work with place cells and grid cells offers insights into the complex questions of self-awareness and navigation, paralleling Gauguin’s timeless inquiries into existence.