The 2014 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine was awarded to professors John O’Keefe, May-Britt Moser, and Edvard Moser for “a paradigm shift in our understanding of how ensembles of specialized cells work together to execute higher cognitive functions” — specifically their discovery of the brain’s “inner GPS” system.

Place cells and grid cells — neurons in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex of animals appear to create a cognitive map of every room or space that we’ve ever explored. As one moves around a room or space, a very specific place cell fires — and when one visits the same place in the future, the same place cell fires every time.

The findings may eventually lead to an understanding of the spatial losses that occur in Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases. The hippocampus and entorhinal cortex are often damaged in early stages of Alzheimer’s, with affected individuals getting lost and failing to recognize the environment.