Internal compass helps the brain keep memories stable during change

A new discovery by McGill researchers sheds light on how we retain memories over time, even though brain activity is constantly changing.

Published in Nature, the preclinical study found the brain's internal compass remains remarkably stable over time. The findings suggest this steady sense of direction may act as an anchor for memory.

"This is a long-standing puzzle: if the brain's memory structures keep shifting, how do our memories remain so stable? Our results offer an explanation," said senior author Adrien Peyrache, Associate Professor at the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill and director the Peyrache Lab at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital).

The internal compass, known as the head-direction system, is a network of brain cells that tracks which way we are facing as we move. It also links the brain's memory centre, the hippocampus, to the rest of the brain.