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The
precise part of the human brain that controls people’s sense of direction has
been identified by leading scientists in a groundbreaking piece of research.
Those
who have more robust nerve signals in what the scientists describe as the
brain's “internal compass” are generally more accomplished navigators, the
study suggests.
Based
on BBC/RT.com filings the report, published in prestigious science journal
Current Biology, indicates people tend to get lost when their internal
navigational compass cannot maintain pace with these nerve signals.
While
scientists have long held the view that such nerve signals exist in the human
brain, the theory was based on mere speculation until now.
University
College London (UCL) researchers who conducted the study hope the discovery
will help shed light on the relationship between Alzheimer’s and a
deteriorating sense of direction.
Scientists
requested 16 volunteers take the time to mentally log a straightforward virtual
courtyard. They were then asked to navigate around the space, relying on memory
alone, while their brain patterns were scanned using a high-tech MRI machine.
The
scans identified the relevant part of the brain responsible for such navigation,
showing nerve cell activity in the region each time the participants attempted
to virtually make their way around the digital courtyard.
The
researchers concluded that the stronger the signal in that part of the brain –
known as the entorhinal region – the better the volunteers were at navigating
around the courtyard by memory.
Dr.
John Isaac of independent scientific research charity the Wellcome Trust said
the research adds to our understanding of diseases such as dementia.
“Why some people are better
navigators than others is intrinsically interesting, but [the research] also
helps us explain the processes that go wrong in degenerative diseases such as
dementia – leaving people feeling lost and confused,” he told the BBC.
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