The Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine has been awarded to three scientists who discovered the brain’s "GPS system". UK-based researcher Prof John O’Keefe as well as May-Britt Moser and Edvard Moser share the award. They discovered how the brain knows where we are and is able to navigate from one place to another.
Their findings may help explain why Alzheimer’s disease patients cannot recognise their surroundings. "The discoveries have solved a problem that has occupied philosophers and scientists for centuries," the Nobel Assembly said. Prof O’Keefe, from University College London, discovered the first part of the brain’s internal positioning system in 1971. On hearing about winning the prize, he said: "I’m totally delighted and thrilled, I’m still in a state of shock, it’s the highest accolade you can get."