Nobel laureate discusses ‘brain GPS’ in Taipei

諾貝爾獎得主在台北探討 “大腦GPS”

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Academia Sinica on Monday hosted Nobel laureate Edvard I. Moser, who delivered a lecture explaining how the brain functions like a dynamic GPS system for navigation and memory, per CNA.

The lecture, titled “The Brain’s GPS: How We Know Where We Are,” is part of the Taiwan Bridge Project, an initiative bringing leading global scholars to Taiwan. Moser, a 2014 Nobel Prize winner and professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, discussed how the brain processes spatial and temporal information.

Moser is best known for discovering grid cells, specialized neurons that enable the brain to map physical space. His research has reshaped scientific understanding of spatial perception and contributed to advances in computational neuroscience.

During the lecture, Moser said the entorhinal cortex contains specialized position-coding cell types, including grid cells. Grid cells activate only when a person or animal is in a specific place, forming a hexagonal pattern that functions like an internal coordinate system. Together with other types of neurons, they create a continuously updated map of the environment.

He added that neurons in another region of the entorhinal cortex also help encode the sequence of events, allowing experiences to be organized into time segments for memory and recall. This integration of spatial and temporal information enables individuals to understand both where they are and the order of events.

Moser noted that this system plays a central role in navigation and memory. Damage to the entorhinal cortex can impair both functions, as seen in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. He said research into this region may contribute to earlier diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative conditions.

The Taiwan Bridge Project is jointly organized by Academia Sinica, 11 domestic academic institutions, and the International Peace Foundation. Launched in November, the program aims to host more than 10 Nobel laureates over the course of a year, covering fields including peace, physics, chemistry, biomedicine, and literature.