Key pointsThe hippocampus creates cognitive maps—internal representations of our surrounding environments.New research reveals how the hippocampus modifies these maps to help us navigate new spaces.Neural activity in the hippocampus "flickers" between remembered maps and the current environment.Have you ever gotten a flash of a different route you could have taken while stuck in traffic? This isn’t just a fleeting thought, but rather a fundamental neurological process, according to findings rece...