How do grid cells help with navigation?

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Patient H.M. and short-term memory loss explained — hippocampus Learn about Henry Molaison (better known as “patient H.M.”), whose short-term memory loss following a lobotomy helped researchers to understand how brain structures are related to brain function.

Grid cells, which are primarily located in the medial entorhinal cortex, assist with navigation by creating a coordinate system for the environment. Unlike place cells, which fire at specific locations, grid cells feature multiple firing fields that tile an entire space in a regular, periodic triangular pattern.1

This unique firing structure is believed to be essential for path integration, a process that allows an individual to estimate their current distance and direction traveled by utilizing self-motion signals. By providing this spatial framework, grid cells contribute significantly to the brain's representation of location, which is vital for planning and guiding future behavior as one navigates through an environment.1