Neural Mechanisms of Spatial Orientation

Dr. Mark Brandon is an associate professor of Psychiatry at McGill University.

Spatial orientation depends on the brain’s ability to generate and maintain an internal sense of direction, while also updating that representation when the external world changes or when orientation is lost. In this talk, I will discuss recent work from my laboratory on the neural circuits that support this process, with a focus on the head direction system, often described as the brain’s internal compass. I will present evidence that this system operates through dynamic interactions between internal network activity and sensory input, and I will describe our ongoing efforts to identify the circuit mechanisms that allow directional representations to reset and realign. Together, this work aims to clarify how the brain preserves a stable sense of direction in a changing world.

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Hosted by Drs. Laura Colgin and Xuexin Wei

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