How we use GPS inside our brain to navigate

A new research has revealed that the way we navigate is controlled by two brain regions which track the distance to our destination.

The study found that at the beginning of a journey, one region of the brain calculates the straight-line to the destination ('the distance as a crow flies'), but during travel a different area of the brain computes the precise distance along the path to get there.

The findings pinpoint the precise brain regions used and in doing so change how scientists believed we use our brain to navigate.

The study, funded by the Wellcome Trust, showed that the brain region called entorhinal cortex calculates the straight-line to the destination, while the posterior hippocampus region became active when keeping track of the path needed to reach the destination.

However, the researchers also found that neither of the brain regions tracked the distance to the destination when people used Sat Nav or GPS gadgets to get to a destination.

Dr Hugo Spiers said that the findings help understand the mechanisms by which the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex guide navigation and the research is also a substantial step towards understanding how people use their brain in real world environments.

The study is published in Current Biology.