The Hippocampal and Parietal Foundations of Spatial Cognition

As we navigate and move around our environment, many of the most important problems we face involve the processing of spatial information. The difficulty of solving these problems has been shown in the repeated failure of artificial systems to perform such tasks efficiently. In contrast, humans and other animals routinely overcome these problems. This collection of papers examines the role of the hippocampus and parietal cortex in supporting these remarkable abilities. It reviews the evidence that each area is involved in spatial cognition, examines the mechanisms underlying the generation of spatial behaviours, and considers the relative roles of the parietal and hippocampal areas, including how each interacts with the other. Written by leading experts in cognitive neuroscience, this book represents the state of the art of current research into the neural basis of spatial cognition.