Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017 Apr 1;117(4):1785-1796.
doi: 10.1152/jn.00005.2017. Epub 2017 Feb 1.

The role of the hippocampus in navigation is memory

Howard Eichenbaum  1
Affiliations
Review

The role of the hippocampus in navigation is memory

Howard Eichenbaum. J Neurophysiol. .

Abstract

There is considerable research on the neurobiological mechanisms within the hippocampal system that support spatial navigation. In this article I review the literature on navigational strategies in humans and animals, observations on hippocampal function in navigation, and studies of hippocampal neural activity in animals and humans performing different navigational tasks and tests of memory. Whereas the hippocampus is essential to spatial navigation via a cognitive map, its role derives from the relational organization and flexibility of cognitive maps and not from a selective role in the spatial domain. Correspondingly, hippocampal networks map multiple navigational strategies, as well as other spatial and nonspatial memories and knowledge domains that share an emphasis on relational organization. These observations suggest that the hippocampal system is not dedicated to spatial cognition and navigation, but organizes experiences in memory, for which spatial mapping and navigation are both a metaphor for and a prominent application of relational memory organization.

Keywords: cognitive map; hippocampus; memory; navigation.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Ainge JA, Tamosiunaite M, Woergoetter F, Dudchenko PA. Hippocampal CA1 place cells encode intended destination on a maze with multiple choice points. J Neurosci 27: 9769–9779, 2007b. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2011-07.2007. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ainge JA, van der Meer MA, Langston RF, Wood ER. Exploring the role of context-dependent hippocampal activity in spatial alternation behavior. Hippocampus 17: 988–1002, 2007a. doi: 10.1002/hipo.20301. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Alyan S, McNaughton BL. Hippocampectomized rats are capable of homing by path integration. Behav Neurosci 113: 19–31, 1999. doi: 10.1037/0735-7044.113.1.19. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Aronov D, Nevers R, Tank DW. Mapping of a non-spatial dimension by the hippocampal–entorhinal circuit. Nature 543: 719–722, 2017. doi: 10.1038/nature21692. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bahar AS, Shapiro ML. Remembering to learn: independent place and journey coding mechanisms contribute to memory transfer. J Neurosci 32: 2191–2203, 2012. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3998-11.2012. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources