Recently, fMRI researchers have taken these results a step further, by showing that the hippocampus in humans supports map-like spatial codes. A key feature of a map is that it preserves distance relationships: entities that are closer together (vs. farther apart) in the real world are closer together (vs. farther apart) on the map.

The Brain Maps Out Ideas and Memories Like Spaces

Emerging evidence suggests that the brain encodes abstract knowledge in the same way that it represents positions in space, which hints at a more universal theory of cognition.

The hippocampus has been a focus in the study of recombination during simulation – perhaps unsurprising given the established role of this structure in relational processing, including the binding together of disparate elements during working memory as well as episodic encoding and retrieval (Axmacher et al., 2010; Eichenbaum, 2001; Hannula &... See more

The ‘cognitive map’ hypothesis proposes that brain builds a unified representation of the spatial environment to support memory and guide future action.