Nobel in medicine – for research “system GPS” brain – BBC Russian

• October 6, 2014

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Nobel Prize Winners: John O’Keefe, May-Britt Moser and Edward

Nobel Prize in medicine received three scientists who have studied the “internal navigation system” of the brain.

Prize awarded to Professor John O’Keefe from University College London and the couple May-Britt and Edvard Moser at the University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway.

The award was given for his work on the identification of cells in the brain that are responsible for the system of spatial positioning.

Among other things, this finding might be able to explain why patients with Alzheimer’s disease often do not realize where they are.

According to the Nobel Committee, the discovery of scientists “gave the answer to the question which for centuries occupied the minds of philosophers and scientists “.

Professor O’Keefe opened part of the spatial positioning of the brain in 1971.

He found in rats type of nerve cells in the hippocampus, activated when you change the position of the animal in space.

When the rat is at a certain point of the room, in her excited hippocampus neurons of a certain type, when you move the animal to another location excitation is transferred to other neurons.

According to John O’Keefe, these nerve cells in the brain create a kind of map.

“System GPS”

In 2005, the couple Moser identified other type of nerve cells, which they called “grid cell”. These cells generate a coordinate system and are used for precise positioning and path finding.

A subsequent study of Norwegian scientists showed these cells allow a person to determine its position in space and move in a given direction.

Scientists have studied the brain cells that are responsible for the spatial positioning system

The decision of the Nobel Committee said that both discoveries demonstrate that these nerve cells “are formed in the brain positioning system, similar to GPS”.

The award, according to the Nobel Committee, can inspire other scientists to study diseases associated with problems in the positioning system.

May-Britt and Edvard Moser became the first Norwegian to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine.

75-year-old John O’Keefe grew up in New York, in recent years he has worked in the UK.

The award ceremony will be held on December 10, the day of death of the founder of the Nobel Prize Alfred Nobel.

will be announced Tuesday the name of Nobel Prize in Physics.