The Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine has been awarded to the three scientists who uncovered what they are calling the brain's GPS system.

John O'Keefe, May-Britt Moser and Edvard Moser discovered how the human brain is able to determine where it is and how it can navigate from place to place, according to a report from BBC. The three scientists will share the award.

"The discoveries have solved a problem that has occupied philosophers and scientists for centuries," the Nobel Assembly said.

The findings could help understand more about Alzheimer's disease and why those suffering from the disease often don't recognize their surroundings.

O'Keefe first discovered part of the brain's internal positions system while working in 1971. His experiments showed that one set of nerve cells became activated whenever a rat was in one locations of a room, but a different set of cells became activated when the rat was in a different area.

Based on that research, O'Keefe said that these "place cells," which are located in the hippocampus, form a sort of map within the brain.

"I'm totally delighted and thrilled," he said after hearing that he had won the Nobel Prize. "I'm still in a state of shock, it's the highest accolade you can get."

In 2005, the Mosers found a different part of the brain that acts like a nautical map, with "grid cells" that act like lines of latitude and longitude, which assist the brain in navigating and judging distance. The husband and wife team work at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Reuters reported.

"This is crazy, this is such a great honor for all of us and all the people who have worked with us and supported us," May-Britt Moser said about winning the award.

The discovery" constitutes a comprehensive positioning system, an inner GPS, in the brain," the Nobel Committee said. "(This system is) affected in several brain disorders, including dementia and Alzheimer's disease."