1
|
Yacoub N, Lakusta L, Yang Y. Sex differences in direction giving: Are boys better than girls? J Exp Child Psychol 2024; 244:105958. [PMID: 38788247 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.105958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Previous research has extensively documented sex differences favoring boys in various domains of spatial cognition. However, relatively little research has examined sex differences in children's direction giving. The current study aimed to bridge this gap. A total of 143 children aged 3 to 10 years were asked to describe and recall routes from survey perspectives (via maps) and route perspectives (via videos). Significant sex effects (favoring boys) in direction-giving accuracy were found in describing route trials. However, boys and girls did not differ in the frequency of utterances encoding landmarks and direction of turns, suggesting that the quality rather than the quantity of words played a more important role in explaining sex differences. In addition, there was no sex difference in the route recall task. Although accuracy was overall higher in the map condition than in the video condition, it did not moderate sex differences. Overall, our study showed a robust sex difference in direction giving, which has important theoretical implications for understanding the development of human sex differences and critical clinical implications for designing training programs to improve children's spatial cognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nardin Yacoub
- Department of Psychology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA
| | - Laura Lakusta
- Department of Psychology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA
| | - Yingying Yang
- Department of Psychology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Joue G, Navarro-Schröder T, Achtzehn J, Moffat S, Hennies N, Fuß J, Döller C, Wolbers T, Sommer T. Effects of estrogen on spatial navigation and memory. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2024; 241:1037-1063. [PMID: 38407638 PMCID: PMC11031496 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-024-06539-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
RATIONALE Animal studies suggest that the so-called "female" hormone estrogen enhances spatial navigation and memory. This contradicts the observation that males generally out-perform females in spatial navigation and tasks involving spatial memory. A closer look at the vast number of studies actually reveals that performance differences are not so clear. OBJECTIVES To help clarify the unclear performance differences between men and women and the role of estrogen, we attempted to isolate organizational from activational effects of estrogen on spatial navigation and memory. METHODS In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we tested the effects of orally administered estradiol valerate (E2V) in healthy, young women in their low-hormone menstrual cycle phase, compared to healthy, young men. Participants performed several first-person, environmentally rich, 3-D computer games inspired by spatial navigation and memory paradigms in animal research. RESULTS We found navigation behavior suggesting that sex effects dominated any E2 effects with men performing better with allocentric strategies and women with egocentric strategies. Increased E2 levels did not lead to general improvements in spatial ability in either sex but to behavioral changes reflecting navigation flexibility. CONCLUSION Estrogen-driven differences in spatial cognition might be better characterized on a spectrum of navigation flexibility rather than by categorical performance measures or skills.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gina Joue
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Tobias Navarro-Schröder
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Olav Kyrres Gate 9, 7030, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Johannes Achtzehn
- Department of Neurology with Experimental Neurology (CVK), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany
| | - Scott Moffat
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, 654 Cherry Street, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Nora Hennies
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Johannes Fuß
- Institute of Forensic Psychiatry and Sex Research, University Duisburg-Essen, Hohlweg 26, 45147, Essen, Germany
| | - Christian Döller
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Olav Kyrres Gate 9, 7030, Trondheim, Norway
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thomas Wolbers
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Leipziger Straße 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Sommer
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Gammeri R, Léonard J, Toupet M, Hautefort C, van Nechel C, Besnard S, Machado ML, Nakul E, Montava M, Lavieille JP, Lopez C. Navigation strategies in patients with vestibular loss tested in a virtual reality T-maze. J Neurol 2022; 269:4333-4348. [PMID: 35306619 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-022-11069-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
During navigation, humans mainly rely on egocentric and allocentric spatial strategies, two different frames of reference working together to build a coherent representation of the environment. Spatial memory deficits during navigation have been repeatedly reported in patients with vestibular disorders. However, little is known about how vestibular disorders can change the use of spatial navigation strategies. Here, we used a new reverse T-maze paradigm in virtual reality to explore whether vestibular loss specifically modifies the use of egocentric or allocentric spatial strategies in patients with unilateral (n = 23) and bilateral (n = 23) vestibular loss compared to healthy volunteers (n = 23) matched for age, sex and education level. Results showed that the odds of selecting and using a specific strategy in the T-maze were significantly reduced in both unilateral and bilateral vestibular loss. An exploratory analysis suggests that only right vestibular loss decreased the odds of adopting a spatial strategy, indicating an asymmetry of vestibular functions. When considering patients who used strategies to navigate, we observed that a bilateral vestibular loss reduced the odds to use an allocentric strategy, whereas a unilateral vestibular loss decreased the odds to use an egocentric strategy. Age was significantly associated with an overall lower chance to adopt a navigation strategy and, more specifically, with a decrease in the odds of using an allocentric strategy. We did not observe any sex difference in the ability to select and use a specific navigation strategy. Findings are discussed in light of previous studies on visuo-spatial abilities and studies of vestibulo-hippocampal interactions in peripheral vestibular disorders. We discuss the potential impact of the history of the disease (chronic stage in patients with a bilateral vestibulopathy vs. subacute stage in patients with a unilateral vestibular loss), of hearing impairment and non-specific attentional deficits in patients with vestibular disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Gammeri
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, LNC, FR3C, Marseille, France.,Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - Jacques Léonard
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, LNC, FR3C, Marseille, France
| | - Michel Toupet
- IRON, Institut de Recherche en Oto-Neurologie, Paris, France.,Centre d'Explorations Fonctionnelles Oto-Neurologiques, Paris, France
| | - Charlotte Hautefort
- IRON, Institut de Recherche en Oto-Neurologie, Paris, France.,Service ORL, Hôpital Lariboisière, Paris, France
| | - Christian van Nechel
- IRON, Institut de Recherche en Oto-Neurologie, Paris, France.,Unité Troubles de L'Équilibre Et Vertiges, CHU Brugmann, Bruxelles, Belgium.,Unité de Neuro-Ophtalmologie, CHU Erasme, Bruxelles, Belgium.,Clinique Des Vertiges, Bruxelles, Belgium
| | | | | | - Estelle Nakul
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, LNC, FR3C, Marseille, France
| | - Marion Montava
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hôpital La Conception, APHM, Marseille, France
| | - Jean-Pierre Lavieille
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hôpital La Conception, APHM, Marseille, France
| | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Noachtar I, Harris TA, Hidalgo-Lopez E, Pletzer B. Sex and strategy effects on brain activation during a 3D-navigation task. Commun Biol 2022; 5:234. [PMID: 35296794 PMCID: PMC8927599 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03147-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex differences in navigation have often been attributed to the use of different navigation strategies in men and women. However, no study so far has investigated sex differences in the brain networks supporting different navigation strategies. To address this issue, we employed a 3D-navigation task during functional MRI in 36 men and 36 women, all scanned thrice, and modeled navigation strategies by instructions requiring an allocentric vs. egocentric reference frame on the one hand, as well as landmark-based vs. Euclidian strategies on the other hand. We found distinct brain networks supporting different perspectives/strategies. Men showed stronger activation of frontal areas, whereas women showed stronger activation of posterior brain regions. The left inferior frontal gyrus was more strongly recruited during landmark-based navigation in men. The hippocampus showed stronger connectivity with left-lateralized frontal areas in women and stronger connectivity with superior parietal areas in men. We discuss these findings in the light of a stronger recruitment of verbal networks supporting a more verbal strategy in women compared to a stronger recruitment of spatial networks supporting a more spatial strategy use in men. In summary, this study provides evidence that different navigation strategies activate different brain areas in men and women.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Noachtar
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstr. 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Ti-Anni Harris
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstr. 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Esmeralda Hidalgo-Lopez
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstr. 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Belinda Pletzer
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstr. 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Mobbs D, Wise T, Suthana N, Guzmán N, Kriegeskorte N, Leibo JZ. Promises and challenges of human computational ethology. Neuron 2021; 109:2224-2238. [PMID: 34143951 PMCID: PMC8769712 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The movements an organism makes provide insights into its internal states and motives. This principle is the foundation of the new field of computational ethology, which links rich automatic measurements of natural behaviors to motivational states and neural activity. Computational ethology has proven transformative for animal behavioral neuroscience. This success raises the question of whether rich automatic measurements of behavior can similarly drive progress in human neuroscience and psychology. New technologies for capturing and analyzing complex behaviors in real and virtual environments enable us to probe the human brain during naturalistic dynamic interactions with the environment that so far were beyond experimental investigation. Inspired by nonhuman computational ethology, we explore how these new tools can be used to test important questions in human neuroscience. We argue that application of this methodology will help human neuroscience and psychology extend limited behavioral measurements such as reaction time and accuracy, permit novel insights into how the human brain produces behavior, and ultimately reduce the growing measurement gap between human and animal neuroscience.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dean Mobbs
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, 1200 E. California Blvd., HSS 228-77, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Computation and Neural Systems Program at the California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., HSS 228-77, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
| | - Toby Wise
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, 1200 E. California Blvd., HSS 228-77, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK; Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - Nanthia Suthana
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Departments of Neurosurgery, Psychology, and Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Noah Guzmán
- Computation and Neural Systems Program at the California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., HSS 228-77, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Nikolaus Kriegeskorte
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Rabipour S, Rajagopal S, Pasvanis S, Rajah MN. Generalization of memory-related brain function in asymptomatic older women with a family history of late onset Alzheimer's Disease: Results from the PREVENT-AD Cohort. Neurobiol Aging 2021; 104:42-56. [PMID: 33964608 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2021.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) disproportionately affects women compared to men. Episodic memory decline is one of the earliest and most pronounced deficits observed in AD. However, it remains unclear whether sex influences episodic memory-related brain function in cognitively intact older adults at risk of developing AD. Here we used task-based multivariate partial least squares analysis to examine sex differences in episodic memory-related brain activity and brain activity-behavior correlations in a matched sample of cognitively intact older women and men with a family history of AD from the PREVENT-AD cohort study in Montreal, Canada (Mage=63.03±3.78; Meducation=15.41±3.40). We observed sex differences in task-related brain activity and brain activity-behavior correlations during the encoding of object-location associative memories and object-only item memory, and the retrieval of object only item memories. Our findings suggest a generalization of episodic memory-related brain activation and performance in women compared to men. Follow up analyses should test for sex differences in the relationship between brain activity patterns and performance longitudinally, in association with risk factors for AD development. This article is part of the Virtual Special Issue titled COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE OF HEALTHY AND PATHOLOGICAL AGING. The full issue can be found on ScienceDirect at https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/neurobiology-of-aging/special-issue/105379XPWJP.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sheida Rabipour
- Centre for Cerebral Imaging, Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | | | - Stamatoula Pasvanis
- Centre for Cerebral Imaging, Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, Canada
| | - M Natasha Rajah
- Centre for Cerebral Imaging, Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Goodman J. Place vs. Response Learning: History, Controversy, and Neurobiology. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 14:598570. [PMID: 33643005 PMCID: PMC7904695 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.598570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The present article provides a historical review of the place and response learning plus-maze tasks with a focus on the behavioral and neurobiological findings. The article begins by reviewing the conflict between Edward C. Tolman's cognitive view and Clark L. Hull's stimulus-response (S-R) view of learning and how the place and response learning plus-maze tasks were designed to resolve this debate. Cognitive learning theorists predicted that place learning would be acquired faster than response learning, indicating the dominance of cognitive learning, whereas S-R learning theorists predicted that response learning would be acquired faster, indicating the dominance of S-R learning. Here, the evidence is reviewed demonstrating that either place or response learning may be dominant in a given learning situation and that the relative dominance of place and response learning depends on various parametric factors (i.e., amount of training, visual aspects of the learning environment, emotional arousal, et cetera). Next, the neurobiology underlying place and response learning is reviewed, providing strong evidence for the existence of multiple memory systems in the mammalian brain. Research has indicated that place learning is principally mediated by the hippocampus, whereas response learning is mediated by the dorsolateral striatum. Other brain regions implicated in place and response learning are also discussed in this section, including the dorsomedial striatum, amygdala, and medial prefrontal cortex. An exhaustive review of the neurotransmitter systems underlying place and response learning is subsequently provided, indicating important roles for glutamate, dopamine, acetylcholine, cannabinoids, and estrogen. Closing remarks are made emphasizing the historical importance of the place and response learning tasks in resolving problems in learning theory, as well as for examining the behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms of multiple memory systems. How the place and response learning tasks may be employed in the future for examining extinction, neural circuits of memory, and human psychopathology is also briefly considered.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jarid Goodman
- Department of Psychology, Delaware State University, Dover, DE, United States
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Pu Y, Cornwell BR, Cheyne D, Johnson BW. Gender differences in navigation performance are associated with differential theta and high-gamma activities in the hippocampus and parahippocampus. Behav Brain Res 2020; 391:112664. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
|
9
|
The effect of high fat, high sugar, and combined high fat-high sugar diets on spatial learning and memory in rodents: A meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 107:399-421. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Revised: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 08/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
|
10
|
Reggente N, Essoe JKY, Baek HY, Rissman J. The Method of Loci in Virtual Reality: Explicit Binding of Objects to Spatial Contexts Enhances Subsequent Memory Recall. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s41465-019-00141-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
|
11
|
|
12
|
Ferguson TD, Livingstone-Lee SA, Skelton RW. Incidental learning of allocentric and egocentric strategies by both men and women in a dual-strategy virtual Morris Water Maze. Behav Brain Res 2019; 364:281-295. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.02.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
|
13
|
Tinga AM, de Back TT, Louwerse MM. Non-invasive neurophysiological measures of learning: A meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 99:59-89. [PMID: 30735681 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2018] [Revised: 12/22/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
In a meta-analysis of 113 experiments we examined neurophysiological outcomes of learning, and the relationship between neurophysiological and behavioral outcomes of learning. Findings showed neurophysiology yielding large effect sizes, with the majority of studies examining electroencephalography and eye-related outcome measures. Effect sizes on neurophysiological outcomes were smaller than effect sizes on behavioral outcomes, however. Neurophysiological outcomes were, but behavioral outcomes were not, influenced by several modulating factors. These factors included the sensory system in which learning took place, number of learning days, whether feedback on performance was provided, and age of participants. Controlling for these factors resulted in the effect size differences between behavior and neurophysiology to disappear. The findings of the current meta-analysis demonstrate that neurophysiology is an appropriate measure in assessing learning, particularly when taking into account factors that could have an influence on neurophysiology. We propose a first model to aid further studies that are needed to examine the exact interplay between learning, neurophysiology, behavior, individual differences, and task-related aspects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Angelica M Tinga
- Department of Cognitive Science & Artificial Intelligence, Tilburg University, Dante Building, Room D 330, Warandelaan 2, 5037 AB Tilburg, The Netherlands.
| | - Tycho T de Back
- Department of Cognitive Science & Artificial Intelligence, Tilburg University, Dante Building, Room D 330, Warandelaan 2, 5037 AB Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Max M Louwerse
- Department of Cognitive Science & Artificial Intelligence, Tilburg University, Dante Building, Room D 330, Warandelaan 2, 5037 AB Tilburg, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Buckley MG, Bast T. A new human delayed-matching-to-place test in a virtual environment reverse-translated from the rodent watermaze paradigm: Characterization of performance measures and sex differences. Hippocampus 2018; 28:796-812. [PMID: 30451330 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2017] [Revised: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Watermaze tests of place learning and memory in rodents and corresponding reverse-translated human paradigms in real or virtual environments are key tools to study hippocampal function. In common variants, the animal or human participant has to find a hidden goal that remains in the same place over many trials, allowing for incremental learning of the place with reference to distal cues surrounding the circular, featureless maze. Although the hippocampus is involved in incremental place learning, rodent studies have shown that the delayed-matching-to-place (DMP) watermaze test is a more sensitive assay of hippocampal function. On the DMP test, the goal location changes every four trials, requiring the rapid updating of place memory. Here, we developed a virtual DMP test reverse-translated from the rat watermaze DMP paradigm. In two replications, participants showed 1-trial place learning, evidenced by marked latency and path length savings between Trials 1 and 2 to the same goal location, and by search preference for the vicinity of the goal when Trial 2 was run as probe trial (during which the goal was removed). The performance was remarkably similar to rats' performance on the watermaze DMP test. In both replications, male participants showed greater savings and search preferences compared to female participants. Male participants also showed better mental rotation performance, although mental rotation scores did not consistently correlate with DMP performance measures, pointing to distinct neurocognitive mechanisms. The remarkable similarity between rodent and human DMP performance suggests similar underlying neuro-psychological mechanisms, including hippocampus dependence. The new virtual DMP test may, therefore, provide a sensitive tool to probe human hippocampal function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Tobias Bast
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience@Nottingham, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
|
16
|
Looking behind the score: Skill structure explains sex differences in skilled video game performance. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0197311. [PMID: 29847565 PMCID: PMC5976164 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2017] [Accepted: 04/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Some have explained large sex differences in visuospatial abilities by genetic adaptations to different roles in primitive hunter-gatherer societies and the interaction of innate biological differences and environmental factors. We explored the extent to which variations in behavior and acquired skills can provide alternative accounts for sex differences in the performance of a complex spatially-demanding video game (Space Fortress). Men and women with limited video game experience were given 30 hours of training, and latent curve analyses examined the development of their ship control performance and behavior. Men had significantly better control performance than women before and after training, but differences diminished substantially over the training period. An analysis of participants’ joystick behaviors revealed that initially men and women relied on different patterns of control behaviors, but changes in these behaviors over time accounted for the reduced sex differences in performance. When we controlled for these differences in behavior, sex effects after training were no longer significant. Finally, examining the development of control performance and control behaviors of men and women categorized as initially high and low performers revealed the lower-performing women may have been controlling their ship using an approach that was very different from the men and higher-performing women. The potential problems of analyzing men and women’s spatial performance as homogenous groups are discussed, as well as how these issues may account for sex differences in skilled video game performance and perhaps other domains involving spatial abilities.
Collapse
|
17
|
Korol DL, Wang W. Using a memory systems lens to view the effects of estrogens on cognition: Implications for human health. Physiol Behav 2018; 187:67-78. [PMID: 29203121 PMCID: PMC5844822 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.11.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2017] [Revised: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the organizing and activating effects of gonadal steroids on adult physiology can guide insight into sex differences in and hormonal influences on health and disease, ranging from diabetes and other metabolic disorders, emotion and stress regulation, substance abuse, pain perception, immune function and inflammation, to cognitive function and dysfunction accompanying neurological disorders. Because the brain is highly sensitive to many forms of estrogens, it is not surprising that many adult behaviors, including cognitive function, are modulated by estrogens. Estrogens are known for their facilitating effects on learning and memory, but it is becoming increasingly clear that they also can impair learning and memory of some classes of tasks and may do so through direct actions on specific neural systems. This review takes a multiple memory systems approach to understanding how estrogens can at the same time enhance hippocampus-sensitive place learning and impair striatum-sensitive response learning by exploring the role estrogen receptor signaling may play in the opposing cognitive effects of estrogens. Accumulating evidence suggests that neither receptor subtype nor the timing of treatment, i.e. rapid vs slow, explain the bidirectional effects of estrogens on different types of learning. New findings pointing to neural metabolism and the provision of energy substrates by astrocytes as a candidate mechanism for cognitive enhancement and impairment are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Donna L Korol
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, United States.
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, United States
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Spriggs MJ, Kirk IJ, Skelton RW. Hex Maze: A new virtual maze able to track acquisition and usage of three navigation strategies. Behav Brain Res 2018; 339:195-206. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.11.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2017] [Revised: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 11/30/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
|
19
|
Kimura K, Reichert JF, Olson A, Pouya OR, Wang X, Moussavi Z, Kelly DM. Orientation in Virtual Reality Does Not Fully Measure Up to the Real-World. Sci Rep 2017; 7:18109. [PMID: 29273759 PMCID: PMC5741741 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-18289-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2017] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Adult participants learned to reorient to a specific corner inside either a real or virtual rectangular room containing a distinct featural object in each corner. Participants in the virtual-reality (VR) condition experienced an immersive virtual version of the physical room using a head-mounted display (HMD) and customized manual wheelchair to provide self-movement. Following a disorientation procedure, people could reorient by using either the geometry of the room and/or the distinct features in the corners. Test trials in which the different spatial cues were manipulated revealed participants encoded features and geometry in both the real and VR rooms. However, participants in the VR room showed less facility with using geometry. Our results suggest caution must be taken when interpreting the nuances of spatial cue use in virtual environments. Reduced reliability of geometric cues in VR environments may result in greater reliance on feature cues than would normally be expected under similar real-world conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kazushige Kimura
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - James F Reichert
- Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Ashley Olson
- Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Omid Ranjbar Pouya
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Xikui Wang
- Department of Statistics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Zahra Moussavi
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Debbie M Kelly
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. .,Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Piber D, Nowacki J, Mueller SC, Wingenfeld K, Otte C. Sex effects on spatial learning but not on spatial memory retrieval in healthy young adults. Behav Brain Res 2017; 336:44-50. [PMID: 28847444 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.08.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2017] [Revised: 08/04/2017] [Accepted: 08/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Sex differences have been found in spatial learning and spatial memory, with several studies indicating that males outperform females. We tested in the virtual Morris Water Maze (vMWM) task, whether sex differences in spatial cognitive processes are attributable to differences in spatial learning or spatial memory retrieval in a large student sample. METHODS We tested 90 healthy students (45 women and 45 men) with a mean age of 23.5 years (SD=3.5). Spatial learning and spatial memory retrieval were measured by using the vMWM task, during which participants had to search a virtual pool for a hidden platform, facilitated by visual cues surrounding the pool. Several learning trials assessed spatial learning, while a separate probe trial assessed spatial memory retrieval. RESULTS We found a significant sex effect during spatial learning, with males showing shorter latency and shorter path length, as compared to females (all p<0.001). Yet, there was no significant sex effect in spatial memory retrieval (p=0.615). Furthermore, post-hoc analyses revealed significant sex differences in spatial search strategies (p<0.05), but no difference in the number of platform crossings (p=0.375). CONCLUSION Our results indicate that in healthy young adults, males show faster spatial learning in a virtual environment, as compared to females. Interestingly, we found no significant sex differences during spatial memory retrieval. Our study raises the question, whether men and women use different learning strategies, which nevertheless result in equal performances of spatial memory retrieval.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dominique Piber
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
| | - Jan Nowacki
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
| | - Sven C Mueller
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium
| | - Katja Wingenfeld
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Otte
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Ceccanti M, Coriale G, Hamilton DA, Carito V, Coccurello R, Scalese B, Ciafrè S, Codazzo C, Messina MP, Chaldakov GN, Fiore M. Virtual Morris task responses in individuals in an abstinence phase from alcohol. Can J Physiol Pharmacol 2017; 96:128-136. [PMID: 28763626 DOI: 10.1139/cjpp-2017-0013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The present study was aimed at examining spatial learning and memory, in 33 men and 12 women with alcohol use disorder (AUD) undergoing ethanol detoxification, by using a virtual Morris task. As controls, we recruited 29 men and 10 women among episodic drinkers without a history of alcohol addiction or alcohol-related diseases. Elevated latency to the first movement in all trials was observed only in AUD persons; furthermore, control women had longer latencies compared with control men. Increased time spent to reach the hidden platform in the learning phase was found for women of both groups compared with men, in particular during trial 3. As predicted, AUD persons (more evident in men) spent less time in the target quadrant during the probe trial; however, AUD women had longer latencies to reach the platform in the visible condition during trials 6 and 7 that resulted in a greater distance moved. As for the probe trial, men of both groups showed increased virtual locomotion compared with the women of both groups. The present investigation confirms and extends previous studies showing (i) different gender responses in spatial learning tasks, (ii) some alterations due to alcohol addiction in virtual spatial learning, and (iii) differences between AUD men and AUD women in spatial-behaviour-related paradigms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Ceccanti
- a Center for Alcohol Abuse (Centro Riferimento Alcologico Regione Lazio-CRARL), Department of Clinical Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanna Coriale
- a Center for Alcohol Abuse (Centro Riferimento Alcologico Regione Lazio-CRARL), Department of Clinical Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy
| | - Derek A Hamilton
- b Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA
| | - Valentina Carito
- c Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, National Research Council (IBCN-CNR)/Santa Lucia Foundation, 00143 Rome, Italy
| | - Roberto Coccurello
- c Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, National Research Council (IBCN-CNR)/Santa Lucia Foundation, 00143 Rome, Italy
| | - Bruna Scalese
- a Center for Alcohol Abuse (Centro Riferimento Alcologico Regione Lazio-CRARL), Department of Clinical Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy
| | - Stefania Ciafrè
- c Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, National Research Council (IBCN-CNR)/Santa Lucia Foundation, 00143 Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Codazzo
- a Center for Alcohol Abuse (Centro Riferimento Alcologico Regione Lazio-CRARL), Department of Clinical Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy
| | - Marisa Patrizia Messina
- a Center for Alcohol Abuse (Centro Riferimento Alcologico Regione Lazio-CRARL), Department of Clinical Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy
| | - George N Chaldakov
- d Laboratory of Cell Biology, Department of Anatomy and Histology, Medical University, Varna, 9002 Bulgaria
| | - Marco Fiore
- c Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, National Research Council (IBCN-CNR)/Santa Lucia Foundation, 00143 Rome, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Fritz AK, Amrein I, Wolfer DP. Similar reliability and equivalent performance of female and male mice in the open field and water-maze place navigation task. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS PART C-SEMINARS IN MEDICAL GENETICS 2017; 175:380-391. [PMID: 28654717 PMCID: PMC5638061 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.c.31565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2017] [Revised: 04/27/2017] [Accepted: 05/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Although most nervous system diseases affect women and men differentially, most behavioral studies using mouse models do not include subjects of both sexes. Many researchers worry that data of female mice may be unreliable due to the estrous cycle. Here, we retrospectively evaluated sex effects on coefficient of variation (CV) in 5,311 mice which had performed the same place navigation protocol in the water‐maze and in 4,554 mice tested in the same open field arena. Confidence intervals for Cohen's d as measure of effect size were computed and tested for equivalence with 0.2 as equivalence margin. Despite the large sample size, only few behavioral parameters showed a significant sex effect on CV. Confidence intervals of effect size indicated that CV was either equivalent or showed a small sex difference at most, accounting for less than 2% of total group to group variation of CV. While female mice were potentially slightly more variable in water‐maze acquisition and in the open field, males tended to perform less reliably in the water‐maze probe trial. In addition to evaluating variability, we also directly compared mean performance of female and male mice and found them to be equivalent in both water‐maze place navigation and open field exploration. Our data confirm and extend other large scale studies in demonstrating that including female mice in experiments does not cause a relevant increase of data variability. Our results make a strong case for including mice of both sexes whenever open field or water‐maze are used in preclinical research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ann-Kristina Fritz
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Irmgard Amrein
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - David P Wolfer
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Mongillo P, Scandurra A, D’Aniello B, Marinelli L. Effect of sex and gonadectomy on dogs’ spatial performance. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2017.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
|
24
|
Tascón L, García-Moreno LM, Cimadevilla JM. Almeria spatial memory recognition test (ASMRT): Gender differences emerged in a new passive spatial task. Neurosci Lett 2017; 651:188-191. [PMID: 28499888 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2017.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2017] [Revised: 04/25/2017] [Accepted: 05/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Many different human spatial memory tasks were developed in the last two decades. Virtual reality based tasks make possible developing different scenarios and situations to assess spatial orientation but sometimes these tasks are complex for specific populations like children and older-adults. A new spatial task with a very limited technological requirement was developed in this study. It demanded the use of spatial memory for an accurate solution. It also proved to be sensitive to gender differences, with men outperforming women under high specific difficulty levels. Thanks to its simplicity it could be applied as a screening test and is easy to combine with EEG and fMRI studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Tascón
- Department of Psychology, University of Almeria, Spain.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|