Human neural systems underlying rigid and flexible forms of allocentric spatial representation

Previous studies suggest the importance of medial temporal lobe, areas of parietal cortex, and retrosplenial cortex in human spatial navigation, though the exact role of these structures in representing the relations of elements within a spatial layout (“allocentric” representation) remains unresolved. Hippocampal involvement, in particular, during memory processing is affected by whether a previously formed representation is employed in a novel...