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Roboticists have long drawn inspiration from nature to develop navigation and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) systems such as RatSLAM. Animals such as birds and bats possess superlative navigation capabilities, robustly navigating over large, three-dimensional environments, leveraging an internal neural representation of space combined with external sensory cues and self-motion cues. This paper presents a novel neuro-inspired 4DoF (degrees of freedom) SLAM system named NeuroSLAM, based upon computational models of 3D grid cells and multilayered head direction cells, integrated with a vision system that provides external visual cues and self-motion cues. NeuroSLAM's neural network activity drives the creation of a multilayered graphical experience map in a real time, enabling relocalization and loop closure through sequences of familiar local visual cues. A multilayered experience map relaxation algorithm is used to correct cumulative errors in path integration after loop closure. Using both synthetic and real-world datasets comprising complex, multilayered indoor and outdoor environments, we demonstrate NeuroSLAM consistently producing topologically correct three-dimensional maps.

Complex brains evolved in order to comprehend and interact with complex environments in the real world. Despite significant progress in our understanding of perceptual representations in the brain, our understanding of how the brain carries out higher level processing remains largely superficial. This disconnect is understandable, since the direct mapping of sensory inputs to perceptual states is readily observed, while mappings between (unknown) stages of processing and intermediate neural states is not. We argue that testing theories of higher level neural processing on robots in the real world offers a clear path forward, since (1) the complexity of the neural robotic controllers can be staged as necessary, avoiding the almost intractable complexity apparent in even the simplest current living nervous systems; (2) robotic controller states are fully observable, avoiding the enormous technical challenge of recording from complete intact brains; and (3) unlike computational modelling, the real world can stand for itself when using robots, avoiding the computational intractability of simulating the world at an arbitrary level of detail. We suggest that embracing the complex and often unpredictable closed-loop interactions between robotic neuro-controllers and the physical world will bring about deeper understanding of the role of complex brain function in the high-level processing of information and the control of behaviour., (© 2016 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology © 2016 The Physiological Society.)

Objective: The biological basis of psychopathy remains to be fully elucidated. Evidence suggests a genetic contribution and dysfunction of the serotonin system. The objective of this article is to review the contribution of the neuroimaging of the last decade to our understanding of psychopathy., Method: A literature search was conducted using PubMed and the words psychopath, antisocial personality disorder, dissocial personality disorder, violence, image and imaging. In addition, the reference lists of the identified papers, and recent textbooks, were perused for additional sources., Results: Five structural and 15 functional neuroimaging studies were selected and examined. Structural studies have reported decreased prefrontal grey matter, decreased posterior hippocampal volume and increased callosal white matter, but to this point, these have not been replicated. Functional studies suggest reduced perfusion and metabolism in the frontal and temporal lobes. Abnormalities of function have been reported, predominantly in frontal and temporal lobe structures during classical conditioning and response inhibition tasks, and in the processing of emotional words and pictures., Conclusion: Functional neuroimaging strongly suggests dysfunction of particular frontal and temporal lobe structures in psychopathy. However, there are difficulties in selecting homogeneous index cases and appropriate control groups. Further studies are necessary. Responses depend on genetic endowment, early life experience, the sociocultural context and the significance of any stimulus to the individual.