Navigating Through the Entorhinal Cortex

The entorhinal cortex is an area of the brain that holds grid cells — it is responsible for memory, the perception of time, and navigation. Nobel Prize winning research by May-Britt Moser and Edvard Moser detailed how grid cells serve as our brain’s GPS. The entorhinal cortex sits between the hippocampus and the neocortex, where it sends information — like memory formation — to the hippocampus.

It is important to study this area of the brain because it is one of the first damaged by Alzheimer’s disease. Starting in the entorhinal cortex, the disease spreads through the brain, with tangled proteins clogging and damaging neurons, ultimately killing them.

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About the Author

Kristina Reznikov

Kristina is the former web communications specialist for BrainFacts.org. She formerly worked as the publications director for a legal publications company in Washington, DC.