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Science

The brain's internal GPS

December 8, 2014

Norwegian neuroscientists Edvard and May-Britt Moser and American-British researcher John O'Keefe are to receive the 2014 Nobel Prize for Medicine on December 10. They won the award for their discovery of how the brain identifies its location and navigates its surroundings.

https://p.dw.com/p/1Dzxl

Edvard and May-Britt Moser discovered a system of nerve cells that functions like an internal satellite navigation system. These cells develop a grid to map our spatial surroundings, enabling us to gain our orientation. Working together with scientist Tobias Bonhoeffer from the Max Planck Institute, the Mosers are now seeking to discover more about how these cells function and develop. Their work is extremely useful for research into treating Alzheimer’s.