Abstract
This chapter reviews and synthesizes current understanding of the neural and cognitive mechanisms that support spatial navigation, with the goal of linking neuronal activity to complex spatial behavior across species. Single-neuron recordings in rodent studies have identified key neuronal representations such as place cells, grid cells, and head-direction cells that form the basis of cognitive maps. Human neuroimaging and intracranial studies have identified indirect homologues of the neural spatial signals and have provided insights into the neural basis of higher-order spatial processes, including path planning and vector computation. Despite this progress, the generation of a unified account that integrates across different processing levels has remained challenging due to methodological differences across species and techniques. To bridge these gaps, three strategies are proposed: (a) methodological bridges, in which cellular-level and macroscopic measures, obtained from rodent and human studies respectively, are aligned through computational modeling and signal alignment; (b) behavioral bridges, in which comparable navigation tasks are employed across species in naturalistic or large-scale environments; and (c) developmental bridges, in which rodent neurodevelopment is used to identify milestones in the emergence of navigational abilities across species. By integrating findings from neurophysiology, neuroimaging, computational modeling, and developmental studies, a comprehensive framework linking neuronal mechanisms with spatial behavior can be achieved.