These Nobel Prize Winners Are Mapping Your Mind

home insemination Kit

When artist Paul Gauguin left Paris for Tahiti back in 1891, he was after a more uncomplicated lifestyle. Fast forward seven years, and he created what he called his masterpiece—a massive canvas that delves into themes of youth, age, humanity, and the mysteries beyond. Titled D’où Venons-Nous / Que Sommes-Nous / Où Allons-Nous—translating to “Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?”—Gauguin was certainly not shy about tackling the hard-hitting questions.

A century later, these questions remain daunting, but we’re now using modern technology to approach them in fresh ways. Recently, the Nobel Foundation honored a trio of scientists with the Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their groundbreaking work on brain cells that help us understand our location. These discoveries are fundamental to unraveling the complex nature of self-awareness and how we navigate the world around us.

Understanding Mental Maps

Gauguin might not have been a neuroscientist, but May-Britt and Edvard Moser definitely are. You might mistake them for an ordinary couple from Norway, but their Nobel Prize win sets them apart. Along with John O’Keeffe from University College London, they investigate the intriguing place cells and grid cells in the brain that contribute to our sense of location.

Consider how strange it is to express what “familiarity” feels like. It’s this odd blend of sight and memory, conscious thoughts and subconscious feelings. How does our brain distinguish being in the center of a room from just a step to the side? Questions like these evoke the classic image of a scientist observing a rat in a maze. Picture May-Britt Moser in that role—but instead of cheese, her lab rats are treated to chocolate cereal.

While place cells and grid cells aren’t a GPS system per se, they serve a similar purpose. Your smartphone doesn’t actively search for your location; it simply waits for signals from satellites that constantly broadcast their positions and timestamps. Your device calculates your location based on these signals, like drawing a dot where spheres intersect.

Interestingly, the brain appears to operate in a similar way. When O’Keefe discovered place cells in the 1970s, it was surprising to find that individual neurons activated at specific locations. It left many wondering how such a complex system could afford to remember every spot we’ve been. But then, three decades later, the Mosers identified grid cells that create a mental map of locations in a hexagonal pattern. These brain cells efficiently work together, like satellites sharing their signals, allowing us to pinpoint our location in the world.

Where Are We Going?

I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Edvard Moser speak during an event in Oxford. He’s charismatic and clearly passionate about his and his wife’s work. It’s evident that he loves delving into these questions and sharing his findings with the world.

Neuroscience is all about asking simple questions that have complicated answers. Why did our brain develop as it has? (Where do we come from?) What makes our cognitive abilities unique? (What are we?) How do we learn and adapt, and how might those processes evolve in the future? As Gauguin pondered, “Where are we going?” We’re still figuring out many of these inquiries, and the Mosers are helping us navigate our understanding of where we currently stand.

If you’re looking for more information on pregnancy and home insemination, check out this excellent resource from the CDC. And for those interested in the tools for home insemination, see this comprehensive guide from Make a Mom.

Summary

In summary, the groundbreaking research by Nobel Prize winners May-Britt and Edvard Moser, along with John O’Keeffe, provides fascinating insights into how our brains map our locations. Their work sheds light on complex questions about self-awareness and navigation, demonstrating how neuroscience continues to uncover the mysteries of the mind.