Does shape matter? Theoretical comment on Jones, Pearce, Davies, Good, and McGregor (2007).

An influential view in the field of spatial cognition is that an obligatory geometric module constrains spatial learning and memory. In this issue, P. M. Jones, J. M. Pearce, V. J. Davies, M. A. Good, and A. McGregor (2007) showed that learning based on the geometry, or shape, of the environment requires the hippocampus. To place this work in context, the author of the present article considers the evidence for and against a geometric module for rat spatial learning, outlines the influence of geometry on neurons that encode spatial information, and attempts to relate spatial behavior to neuronal representations of direction and location.