Humans possess a range of navigation and orientation abilities, from the ordinary to the extraordinary. All of us must move from one location to the next, following habitual routes and avoiding getting lost.
While there is more to learn about how the brain underlies our ability to navigate, neuroscience and psychology have begun to converge on some important answers.
In Human Spatial Navigation, four leading experts — Arne D. Ekstrom, Hugo J. Spiers, Véronique D. Bohbot & R. Shayna Rosenbaum — tackle fundamental and unique issues to produce the first book-length investigation into this subject, says a review on the Princeton University Press website.
Opening with the vivid story of Puluwat sailors who navigate in the open ocean with no mechanical aids, the authors begin by dissecting the behavioral basis of human spatial navigation. They then focus on its neural basis, describing neural recordings, brain imaging experiments, and patient studies. Recent advances give unprecedented insights into what is known about the cognitive map and the neural systems that facilitate navigation.
