place cells

Place cells are neurons in the hippocampus that fire when an animal occupies a specific location in its environment.

Each place cell responds to a particular spatial area called its "place field," and together these cells create a cognitive map that helps animals navigate and remember where they are.

The discovery of place cells, which earned John O'Keefe a Nobel Prize in 2014, fundamentally changed our understanding of how the brain represents space and forms spatial memories.