Foredrag: Korleis fungerer hjernen? Frå romsans til minne.

Nobel laureates Professor May-Britt Moser and Professor Edvard Moser present their latest groundbreaking work in brain research. The lecture is part of the 2026 Rotary District Conference in Fosnavåg. Herøy Rotary Club is opening the conference doors to anyone wishing to hear this rare lecture.

How does the brain work? From spatial sense to memory

How does the brain keep track of where we are, and how do we use our spatial sense to form memories? In this lecture, we will focus on how specialized nerve cells in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex create an internal map of our surroundings. We will demonstrate how position is continuously encoded in networks of grid cells—the cells we discovered in 2005 and for which we were awarded the Nobel Prize. Together, these cells create an internal map of our own position within our environment. We have found that this map is circular in two dimensions and shaped like a doughnut—a torus. This doughnut-shaped map emerges very early in life, before we can see or hear. This suggests that our spatial sense is largely innate—built into the brain from the very beginning. The grid cell system forms the basis of the brain's navigation system and enables us to find our way, but it is also a crucial component of the mechanism for storing memories. The systems governing space and memory are the first to be affected by Alzheimer's disease. Changes in these systems typically begin in the entorhinal cortex and spread to the hippocampus, often years before symptoms appear. We do not yet have a cure for Alzheimer’s, but by understanding how these brain systems function in the first place, we may find the key to preventing or slowing the disease.

Note: The front rows are reserved for conference participants; the seating chart here therefore begins at row 9. Doors open to the public at 09:45.

(Photo: Kavli Institute / Geir Mogens)

Regarding the lecture, the speakers note:

How does the brain keep track of where we are, and how do we use our sense of space to form memories? In this lecture, we will focus on how specialized nerve cells in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex create an internal map of our surroundings. We will demonstrate how position is continuously encoded within networks of grid cells—the cells we discovered in 2005, for which we were awarded the Nobel Prize. Together, these cells create an internal map of our location within our environment. We have found that this map is circular in two dimensions and shaped like a doughnut—a torus. This doughnut-shaped map emerges very early in life, before we can see or hear. This suggests that our sense of space is largely innate—hardwired into the brain from the very beginning. The grid cell system forms the basis of the brain’s navigation system, enabling us to find our way, but it is also a crucial component of the mechanism for storing memories. The systems governing space and memory are the first to be affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Changes in these systems typically begin in the entorhinal cortex and spread to the hippocampus, often years before symptoms appear. We do not yet have a cure for Alzheimer's, but by understanding how these brain systems function in the first place, we may find the key to preventing or slowing the disease.

Read the new article on nrk.no:

https://www.nrk.no/trondelag/moser-gruppa-ved-kavli-instituttet-pa-ntnu-med-ny-banebrytande-forsking-som-blir-publisert-i-science-1.17980638