The typology and function of an integrated spatial and visual cortical system

When we move, our brains are bombarded with moving visual stimuli from the outside world while our heads and eyes are also moving. To navigate the world, our brains must piece all this information together to form a coherent picture. We aim to understand this process by unravelling the functional connectivity between two brain areas, one involved in spatial navigation and memory and the other in visual processing. 

We will use neuronal tracing, recording and live brain imaging technology to discover how these two areas distinguish between information that comes from movements of the head and eyes and information which comes from the movement of an object in the external environment. 

Findings from this research could shed light on the mechanisms of this computation in the healthy and diseased brain, including conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, where this spatial system has become dysfunctional.