Newly discovered brain cells help us recall where we last saw objects

A new kind of navigational neuron has been discovered in the mammalian brain, and it fundamentally changes our understanding of how we relate to objects in our vicinity.

We already knew how mammals, including humans, locate themselves within an environment thanks to the Nobel Prize-winning discovery of place cells and grid cells. These cells are said to form the brain’s inner GPS system. The newly discovered “vector trace cells” add another layer of complexity to…