Your brain physically rewires its internal GPS the second you start 'chasing' something instead of just wandering around.
We don't just use one fixed map to navigate the world. Instead, specific neurons in the brain flip a switch from tracking static landmarks to tracking moving targets the second we go from exploring to active pursuit.
Active Pursuit Gates Egocentric Coding in the Retrosplenial Cortex
SSRN · 6531523
Spatial navigation is commonly studied in static environments, but adaptive behavior frequently hinges on tracking moving goals in real time. Active pursuit exemplifies this challenge: it is an inherently egocentric spatial behavior requiring continuous localization of a moving target, yet the neural coding schemes supporting it remain poorly understood. We therefore performed Neuropixels recordings in the retrosplenial cortex (RSC), a hub for egocentric-to-allocentric reference frame transforma