Work

Geometry as a Guide: Enclosure Effects on Spatial Mapping (Commentary on Xu et al. 2024)

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: A recent paper by Xu et al. proposes that cognitive maps in mice emerge during spatial navigation from path integration anchored to a starting position. We challenge this understanding by arguing that enclosure geometry rather than path integration shapes cognitive maps. Our view emphasizes the context-specific formation of cognitive maps, claiming that these maps arise in response to particular task demands rather than existing as fixed, independent entities.

Source: European Journal of Neuroscience

DOI: 10.1111/ejn.70059

Authors: Luca Sarramone, Jose A. Fernandez‐Leon

Institutions: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Centro Científico Tecnológico - Tandil

Language: English

Topic: Memory and Neural Mechanisms

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

Award: G175287878