Navigational roots of spatial and temporal memory structure

Our minds are constantly in transit, from the present to the past to the future, across places we have and have not directly experienced. Nevertheless, memories of our mental time travel are not organized continuously and are adaptively chunked into contexts and episodes. In this paper, I will review evidence that suggests that spatial boundary representations play a critical role in providing structure to both our spatial and temporal memories. I will illustrate the intimate connection between hippocampal spatial mapping and temporal sequencing of episodic memory to propose that high-level cognitive processes like mental time travel and conceptual mapping are rooted in basic navigational mechanisms that we humans and nonhuman animals share. Our neuroscientific understanding of hippocampal function across species may provide new insight into the origins of even the most uniquely human cognitive abilities.

Automated summary

Our minds are constantly travelling through time and space, organizing memories into contexts and episodes. This paper reviews evidence suggesting that spatial boundary representations play a crucial role in structuring both spatial and temporal memories. The connection between hippocampal spatial mapping and temporal sequencing of episodic memory highlights the relationship between navigational mechanisms and cognitive processes like mental time travel and conceptual mapping, which are shared by humans and nonhuman animals. Understanding hippocampal function across species provides insights into the origins of uniquely human cognitive abilities.