place cells

Place cells are specialized nerve cells in the brain's hippocampus that help us navigate and remember locations. Each place cell becomes active when you are in a specific area or environment, essentially creating a mental map of your surroundings. When you move from one location to another, different place cells activate, allowing you to track your position. This system is fundamental to spatial memory and navigation, helping us find our way in familiar or unfamiliar environments by encoding spatial information in the brain.