Brain and Space

How is space represented in the brain? How are spatial relationships encoded in the neural network so as to frame our perception and to orient and guide our actions? How are mental images of the outside world generated? Although these questions have caused endless philosophical controversy, it is only recently that neurophysiology has advanced sufficiently to provide a sound scientific basis for the subject. In this book, leading authorities in the field describe their latest research, and provide new theoretical insights for the understanding of spatial relationships and cognition. The book is divided into five sections. The first is devoted to oculomotor control, linking the problem of gaze control to that of sensorimotor mapping of the visual space; the second deals with neural control of skeletal movements; the third discusses the contribution of the cortical parietal association areas to the mapping of spatial information of multimodal origin (with emphasis on the neuropsychology of spatial disorders); the fourth highlights the role of hippocampal structures in cognitive mapping of space and in spatial memory; and the final section examines how neural networks can map spatial relationships and generate internal representations of the physical world.