aptness, defined as how the vehicle is well able to cover the salient features of the tenor (e.g., oil is like liquid gold vs. a train is like a worm), is claimed to be an important factor in the preference for metaphors over similes, or vice versa. this study was an attempt to test for the supposed correlation between the perceived degree of aptness and a priori stylistic preference for metaph...

asking about the place of religion in a democratic society refers straightforwardly to the kind of pluralism we adopt. given that intra-societal tensions mark out a democratic pluralistic society, then it seems that there is no doubt that there should be a place for religion and religious people in it. what is crucial for a democratic society is taking a suitable view on pluralism. there could ...

Abstract The experiences of displaced musicians and the socio-cultural practices connected to them are marginalized in study refugee movements—especially new ones like Syrian crisis—subordinated explorations economic political structures affecting mobility, structural integration into host communities emergency settings camp. Concurrently, identity, sentiments belonging reimagining homeland com...

Hippocampal place cells are active when the rat is at certain locations. The sequence of these active place cells is known to be rapidly replayed during sharp-wave-ripple events in the EEG. In this issue of Neuron, a study by Gupta et al. challenges previous notions that the replayed trajectories are solely a passive echo of past episodes. Rather, replay might also be an active process construc...

Place cells are a fundamental component of the rodent navigational system. One intriguing implication of place cells is that humans, by extension, have "map-like" (or GPS-like) knowledge that we use to represent space. Here, we review both behavioral and neural studies of human navigation, suggesting that how we process visual information forms a critical component of how we represent space. Th...

Attractor neural network theory has been proposed as a theory for long-term memory. Recent studies of hippocampal place cells, including a study by Leutgeb et al. in this issue of Neuron, address the potential role of attractor dynamics in the formation of hippocampal representations of spatial maps.

The identification of 'place cells' in the hippocampus has suggested a special role for this brain structure in spatial mapping, but other studies have indicated a more general role in memory. New findings on place cells point the way towards a reconciliation of the mapping and memory views.