New cells have been discovered in the human brain. They are important in everyday life

The brain still hides many secrets from us. Thanks to scientists at Columbia University, there is one less. Scientists have discovered a new type of brain cell. They are referred to as egocentric carrier cells (EBCs). These neurons likely play a large role in our daily functioning. Where are the EBCs located, what are they responsible for and what is the significance of the discovery?

1. Researchers at Columbia University have discovered an unknown type of human brain cell. It was called the egocentric carrier cell (EBCs)
2. EBCs are a kind of our internal GPS – thanks to them we can use our “internal map” – we know, among others, where we are, which way to go further
3. EBCs are also important in remembering past experiences. Scientists know what happens to a person when these neurons are destroyed or damaged
4. More information can be found on the Onet homepage.

How do we orientate ourselves in the field – two brain strategies

Brain cells discovered by a team from the University of Columbia (specifically from Columbia Engineering, one of the best engineering schools in the US) shed light on the mechanisms underlying our orientation (navigation) in the field, i.e. recognizing and finding the way.

There are two strategies by which humans and animals navigate and orientate themselves in space. The first is the allocentric strategy (based on a cognitive map) – we focus on the environment (reference points rooted in the external world) and our position in it. The second is defined as egocentric (road-centered) – its essence is a series of stages that must be overcome in order to reach the goal. So it is a kind of our internal GPS.

How exactly these mechanisms work is perfectly explained by scientists from Columbia Engineering: «When you use an application on your phone to search for directions, the program will likely use both navigation modes. When you enter an address for the first time, you will be shown the address on the map from an allocentric perspective, with “North” at the top and “South” at the bottom. When you go to the route view, it will switch to the egocentric perspective »- we read on the university website (engineering.columbia.edu).

The path to discovering EBCs in the brain

Brain cells associated with allocentric frames of reference were discovered by scientists in rats. It was in 1971. Then John O’Keefe noticed that rats have cells in their brains that activate depending on where the animal goes. The researcher concluded that the brain – specifically a part of it called the hippocampus, because it “found” these cells there (the hippocampus is located in the temporal lobe, it is responsible for memory) – has something similar to a map, thanks to which animals orient themselves in space ( we are talking about an allocentric strategy).

34 years later, another brick was added to the puzzle – the so-called mesh cells that make up the internal navigation system. It is he who tells the animal where exactly it is, where it was before and which way to go further. In other words, it enables the use of this “inner map” (egocentric strategy).

In recent years, scientists have studied how the brains of rats mapped this egocentric frame of reference. Two years ago, scientists at Dartmouth College identified an area of ​​the brain in rats that contained many egocentrically tuned cells. This place was the so-called entorhinal cortex, located in the area of ​​the temporal lobe.

However, it was still unclear what brain cells formed the basis of egocentric spatial maps in humans. “For ethical reasons, it is rarely possible to directly record the activity of single neurons from the human brain,” explained Lukas Kunz, a PhD student at Columbia University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering and author of the landmark study.

“We are the first to report on the egocentric types of space cells in humans”

Lukas Kunz’s team invited 15 patients with epilepsy to cooperate with them, and as part of their treatment, electrodes connected with a pacemaker were implanted in the brain. These volunteers were then examined at the Medical Center of the University of Freiburg (Germany). During the electrode implantation procedure, scientists asked patients to perform computer tasks – they tested these people’s ability to navigate virtual environments.

More than 1,4 thousand were active in all participants. single neurons in multiple areas of the brain. Over 160 of them acted like egocentric types of space cells. They were activated when specific parts of the virtual environment were in front of, behind, to the left or to the right of the patient, or when points in space were close to or away from the patients.

EBCs cells accounted for about 25% of the all neurons in the hippocampal cortex, especially in the paraphocampal area. – We are the first to report about egocentric types of spatial cells in humans – emphasized Lukas Kunz. The results of the research were published in the journal “Neuron”.

What happens when EBCs are damaged?

– “Egocentric carrier cells” encode spatial information on the mental map existing in each of us. “This is probably important to our day-to-day functioning as we try to orient ourselves in our environment and as we navigate routes,” says Joshua Jacobs, a professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia Engineering, one of the study’s authors.

EBCs cells are important not only for our navigation, but also for the correct remembering of past experiences. The research found that their activity increased when patients used their memory to recall the locations of objects they found in virtual environments (the aforementioned computer study). “Egocentric carrier cells are probably particularly involved in the processing of spatial information from memories,” notes Lukas Kunz.

These findings could explain the difficulties in people with memory deficits, including patients with neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. ‘Their egocentric carrier cells may not function properly or may be destroyed by, for example, a stroke, brain tumor or dementia,’ explains Prof. Jacobs. It’s also worth mentioning that disorientation has been observed in patients with an injured hippocampus – possibly due to damage to their egocentric carrier cells, ‘says Kunz.

Unfortunately, new discoveries do not explain how to deal with such memory disturbances. “There is still a lot to do and a lot of research to be done before we get to the point where memory disorders can be successfully treated,” admits Lukas Kunz.

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