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Research Article
Path integration in mammals
Article first published online: 12 JAN 2004
DOI: 10.1002/hipo.10173
Copyright © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Additional Information
How to Cite
Etienne, A. S. and Jeffery, K. J. (2004), Path integration in mammals. Hippocampus, 14: 180–192. doi: 10.1002/hipo.10173
Publication History
- Issue published online: 9 MAR 2004
- Article first published online: 12 JAN 2004
- Manuscript Accepted: 11 APR 2003
Funded by
- Swiss National Science Foundation. Grant Number: 31-52351-97
- Wellcome Trust. Grant Number: 060062/JHW/KM/JAT
- The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). Grant Number: S13189
- Abstract
- References
- Cited By
Keywords:
- path integration;
- navigation;
- landmarks;
- self-motion cues;
- hippocampus;
- cognitive map
Abstract
It is often assumed that navigation implies the use, by animals, of landmarks indicating the location of the goal. However, many animals (including humans) are able to return to the starting point of a journey, or to other goal sites, by relying on self-motion cues only. This process is known as path integration, and it allows an agent to calculate a route without making use of landmarks. We review the current literature on path integration and its interaction with external, location-based cues. Special importance is given to the correlation between observable behavior and the activity pattern of particular neural cell populations that implement the internal representation of space. In mammals, the latter may well be the first high-level cognitive representation to be understood at the neural level. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.