Scientists Locate ‘Homing Signal’ in the Brain, Explaining Why Some People Are Better Navigators

The part of the brain that tells us the direction to travel when we navigate has been identified by UCL scientists, and the strength of its signal predicts how well people can navigate.

The brain-scanning MRI machine that was used at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, for an experiment on tracking brain data is seen on campus Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014. Volunteers where scanned as each word of a chapter of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was flashed for half a second onto a screen inside the machine. Images showing combinations of data and graphics were collected. AP Photo/Keith Srakocic

The part of the brain that tells us the direction to travel when we navigate has been identified by UCL scientists, and the strength of its signal predicts how well people can navigate. 

It has long been known that some people are better at navigating than others, but until now it has been unclear why. The latest study, funded by the Wellcome Trust and published in Current Biology, shows that the strength and reliability of ‘homing signals’ in the human brain vary among people and can predict navigational ability.

Scientists locate region of brain that helps with sense of direction. University College London