The social grid: hexadirectional coding of social memory

Social memory is essential for everyday interactions and describes how we are able to recognize other individuals, how we can find our way and navigate through crowded spaces. Its neural underpinnings have been tested in animals, along with alterations in animal models of Alzheimers disease, schizophrenia, or autism spectrum disorder, but research in humans is missing. How social memory is implemented in the healthy human brain is so far unclear. Here, we will close this gap and test whether social navigation and recognition are supported by specific brain processes that are thought to provide us with a grid-like compass, allowing us to physically and mentally navigate our social space. We will test our questions across three experiments that assess social navigation and recognition, and the putative breakdown of the brains grid-like compass in healthy young individuals at genetic risk for Alzheimers disease. This project will provide us with a thorough understanding of the brain processes important for social memory and its potential changes at risk for Alzheimers disease, which is most devastating when patients fail to recognize significant others.