#6 Spatial Neuroscientist Dr Hugo Spiers - The Incredible way our Brain Constructs the World Around Us

Dr Hugo Spiers is a cognitive Neuroscientist from University College London. He has spent over 25 years studying our spatial navigation system and memory. He has published over 160 research papers on whats actually happening in the brain when we are moving from one place to another, something we all take for granted but is quite remarkable brain system that we all use every day.

I learned personal things in this podcast about what my awful sense of direction means for me, why I should try to improve and just an incredible amount about the incredible brain systems we employ to navigate around our world.

00:00 Intro03:44 Introduction to Spatial Navigation and Brain Structure06:19 The London Taxi Driver Study and Brain Structure11:13 The Relationship Between Hippocampus Size and Navigation16:34 The Role of Different Brain Regions in Spatial Memory19:50 Habits and Autopilot Behavior in Spatial Memory35:19 Genetic Factors and Spatial Navigation39:11 Visualization and Motor Cortex Interaction43:21 Genetic Components of Spatial Navigation48:37 The Health Benefits of Challenging Spatial Navigation Skills54:10 The Future of Neuroscience and Technology

Dr. Hugo Spears discusses the neuroscience of spatial navigation and the correlation between brain structure and spatial navigation abilities. While there is still much we don't know, studies have shown that individuals with larger hippocampi tend to be better navigators. The famous London taxi driver study demonstrated that licensed taxi drivers have larger posterior hippocampi, suggesting that training and experience can impact brain structure. However, there is still debate about the extent to which brain structure influences spatial navigation abilities. Additionally, the brain's spatial memory system involves the parietal cortex for organizing the structure of the world, the hippocampus for allocentric processing, and the striatum for forming habits and autopilot behavior. The conversation explores the topic of spatial navigation and its neural mechanisms. It discusses how the brain maps space and the role of the hippocampus in creating a map of our surroundings. The conversation also touches on the genetic components of spatial navigation and the potential health benefits of actively improving our navigation skills. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the future of neuroscience and technology, highlighting the potential dangers of automated drones and the exciting possibilities of simulating environments for research and design purposes.