Latest

visual navigation

This shows a brain with an overlay of compass points.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·August 18, 2025·2 min read

Brain’s Inner Compass Reveals How We Navigate Cityscapes

A new study used virtual reality taxi driving tasks to uncover how the brain maintains a sense of direction in naturalistic environments. Neuroimaging showed that two brain regions consistently tracked forward-facing direction, even when visual features, task phases, and city layouts varied.

This shows different perspectives of a path

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·March 15, 2023·5 min read

Visually Navigating on Foot Uses a Unique Brain Region

The brain uses a specific region called the occipital place area (OPA) to navigate through spaces visually while walking, and not when crawling or using other modes of movement. This discovery sheds light on how children develop spatial awareness and interact with their surroundings as they learn to walk.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·May 13, 2019·5 min read

Room for thought: Brain region that watches for walls identified

MEG neuroimaging implicates the occipital place area (OPA) in our ability to rapidly sense our surroundings. The findings may advance improving machine learning and robotics technology aimed at mimicking visual processes in the human brain.