How do place cells help an animal map its environment?

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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.

Place cells are specialized neurons located within the hippocampus that function as a biological positioning system. As an animal navigates its surroundings, these cells increase their firing rate only when the animal enters a specific, preferred location known as a place field.1

By firing in response to distinct locations, the collective activity of multiple place cells creates a neural "map" of the entire environment, providing the animal with a representation of its current position. This process is context-dependent; the same cell may fire in different locations when the animal is moved to a new environment, a phenomenon called remapping.1

Place cells do not work in isolation; they integrate sensory information—such as colors, textures, and distances to environmental boundaries—to maintain spatial accuracy. Together with other specialized neurons like grid cells and head-direction cells, place cells enable the animal to store spatial information, plan routes, and navigate effectively.1