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Levine TF, Dessenberger SJ, Allison SL, Head D. Alzheimer disease biomarkers are associated with decline in subjective memory, attention, and spatial navigation ability in clinically normal adults. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2024; 30:313-327. [PMID: 38014546 DOI: 10.1017/s135561772300070x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Subtle changes in memory, attention, and spatial navigation abilities have been associated with preclinical Alzheimer disease (AD). The current study examined whether baseline AD biomarkers are associated with self- and informant-reported decline in memory, attention, and spatial navigation. METHOD Clinically normal (Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR®) = 0) adults aged 56-93 (N = 320) and their informants completed the memory, divided attention, and visuospatial abilities (which assesses spatial navigation) subsections of the Everyday Cognition Scale (ECog) annually for an average of 4 years. Biomarker data was collected within (±) 2 years of baseline (i.e., cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) p-tau181/Aβ42 ratio and hippocampal volume). Clinical progression was defined as CDR > 0 at time of final available ECog. RESULTS Self- and informant-reported memory, attention, and spatial navigation significantly declined over time (ps < .001). Baseline AD biomarkers were significantly associated with self- and informant-reported decline in cognitive ability (ps < .030), with the exception of p-tau181/Aβ42 ratio and self-reported attention (p = .364). Clinical progression did not significantly moderate the relationship between AD biomarkers and decline in self- or informant-reported cognitive ability (ps > .062). Post-hoc analyses indicated that biomarker burden was also associated with self- and informant-reported decline in total ECog (ps < .002), and again clinical progression did not significantly moderate these relationships (ps > .299). CONCLUSIONS AD biomarkers at baseline may indicate risk of decline in self- and informant-reported change in memory, attention, and spatial navigation ability. As such, subjectively reported decline in these domains may have clinical utility in tracking the subtle cognitive changes associated with the earliest stages of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor F Levine
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Steven J Dessenberger
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Samantha L Allison
- Neurosciences Institute at Intermountain Medical Center, Murray, UT, USA
| | - Denise Head
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Charles F. and Joanna Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
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2
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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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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.
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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
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3
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Viganò S, Bayramova R, Doeller CF, Bottini R. Spontaneous eye movements reflect the representational geometries of conceptual spaces. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2403858121. [PMID: 38635638 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2403858121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Functional neuroimaging studies indicate that the human brain can represent concepts and their relational structure in memory using coding schemes typical of spatial navigation. However, whether we can read out the internal representational geometries of conceptual spaces solely from human behavior remains unclear. Here, we report that the relational structure between concepts in memory might be reflected in spontaneous eye movements during verbal fluency tasks: When we asked participants to randomly generate numbers, their eye movements correlated with distances along the left-to-right one-dimensional geometry of the number space (mental number line), while they scaled with distance along the ring-like two-dimensional geometry of the color space (color wheel) when they randomly generated color names. Moreover, when participants randomly produced animal names, eye movements correlated with low-dimensional similarity in word frequencies. These results suggest that the representational geometries used to internally organize conceptual spaces might be read out from gaze behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Viganò
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Psychology, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto 38068, Italy
| | - Rena Bayramova
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Psychology, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Max Planck School of Cognition, Max Planck Institute of Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Psychology, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Christian F Doeller
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Psychology, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Center for Neural Computation, The Egil and Pauline Braathen and Fred Kavli Center for Cortical Microcircuits, Jebsen Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim 7491, Norway
| | - Roberto Bottini
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto 38068, Italy
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4
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Hales JB, Olivas L, Abouchedid D, Blaser RE. Contribution of the medial entorhinal cortex to performance on the Traveling Salesperson Problem in rats. Behav Brain Res 2024; 463:114883. [PMID: 38281708 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.114883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
In order to successfully navigate through space, animals must rely on multiple cognitive processes, including orientation in space, memory of object locations, and navigational decisions based on that information. Although highly-controlled behavioral tasks are valuable for isolating and targeting specific processes, they risk producing a narrow understanding of complex behavior in natural contexts. The Traveling Salesperson Problem (TSP) is an optimization problem that can be used to study naturalistic foraging behaviors, in which subjects select routes between multiple baited targets. Foraging is a spontaneous, yet complex, behavior, involving decision-making, attention, course planning, and memory. Previous research found that hippocampal lesions in rats impaired TSP task performance, particularly on measures of spatial memory. Although traditional laboratory tests have shown the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) to play an important role in spatial memory, if and how the MEC is involved in finding efficient solutions to the TSP remains unknown. In the current study, rats were trained on the TSP, learning to retrieve bait from targets in a variety of spatial configurations. After recovering from either an MEC lesion or control sham surgery, the rats were tested on eight new configurations. Our results showed that, similar to rats with hippocampal lesions, MEC-lesioned rats were impaired on measures of spatial memory, but not spatial decision-making, with greatest impairments on configurations requiring a global navigational strategy for selecting the optimal route. These findings suggest that the MEC is important for effective spatial navigation, especially when global cue processing is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jena B Hales
- University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110, USA.
| | - Larissa Olivas
- University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110, USA
| | | | - Rachel E Blaser
- University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110, USA.
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5
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Zhu M, Yasseri T, Kertész J. Individual differences in knowledge network navigation. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8331. [PMID: 38594309 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58305-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
With the rapid accumulation of online information, efficient web navigation has grown vital yet challenging. To create an easily navigable cyberspace catering to diverse demographics, understanding how people navigate differently is paramount. While previous research has unveiled individual differences in spatial navigation, such differences in knowledge space navigation remain sparse. To bridge this gap, we conducted an online experiment where participants played a navigation game on Wikipedia and completed personal information questionnaires. Our analysis shows that age negatively affects knowledge space navigation performance, while multilingualism enhances it. Under time pressure, participants' performance improves across trials and males outperform females, an effect not observed in games without time pressure. In our experiment, successful route-finding is usually not related to abilities of innovative exploration of routes. Our results underline the importance of age, multilingualism and time constraint in the knowledge space navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manran Zhu
- Department of Network and Data Science, Central European University, 1100, Vienna, Austria.
- Center for Collective Learning, CIAS, Corvinus University of Budapest, Budapest, 1093, Hungary.
| | - Taha Yasseri
- School of Sociology, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, D04 V1W8, Ireland
- Geary Institute for Public Policy, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, D04 V1W8, Ireland
| | - János Kertész
- Department of Network and Data Science, Central European University, 1100, Vienna, Austria
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6
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Xiong Y, Nemargut JP, Bradley C, Wittich W, Legge GE. Development and validation of a questionnaire for assessing visual and auditory spatial localization abilities in dual sensory impairment. Sci Rep 2024; 14:7911. [PMID: 38575713 PMCID: PMC10994906 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58363-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Spatial localization is important for social interaction and safe mobility, and relies heavily on vision and hearing. While people with vision or hearing impairment compensate with their intact sense, people with dual sensory impairment (DSI) may require rehabilitation strategies that take both impairments into account. There is currently no tool for assessing the joint effect of vision and hearing impairment on spatial localization in this large and increasing population. To this end, we developed a novel Dual Sensory Spatial Localization Questionnaire (DS-SLQ) that consists of 35 everyday spatial localization tasks. The DS-SLQ asks participants about their difficulty completing different tasks using only vision or hearing, as well as the primary sense they rely on for each task. We administered the DS-SLQ to 104 participants with heterogenous vision and hearing status. Rasch analysis confirmed the psychometric validity of the DS-SLQ and the feasibility of comparing vision and hearing spatial abilities in a unified framework. Vision and hearing impairment were associated with decreased visual and auditory spatial abilities. Differences between vision and hearing abilities predicted overall sensory reliance patterns. In DSI rehabilitation, DS-SLQ may be useful for measuring vision and hearing spatial localization abilities and predicting the better sense for completing different spatial localization tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingzi Xiong
- Lions Vision Research and Rehabilitation Center, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Center for Applied and Translational Sensory Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
| | | | - Chris Bradley
- Lions Vision Research and Rehabilitation Center, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Walter Wittich
- School of Optometry, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Gordon E Legge
- Center for Applied and Translational Sensory Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
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7
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Liu A, Borisyuk A. Investigating navigation strategies in the Morris Water Maze through deep reinforcement learning. Neural Netw 2024; 172:106050. [PMID: 38232429 DOI: 10.1016/j.neunet.2023.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Navigation is a complex skill with a long history of research in animals and humans. In this work, we simulate the Morris Water Maze in 2D to train deep reinforcement learning agents. We perform automatic classification of navigation strategies, analyze the distribution of strategies used by artificial agents, and compare them with experimental data to show similar learning dynamics as those seen in humans and rodents. We develop environment-specific auxiliary tasks and examine factors affecting their usefulness. We suggest that the most beneficial tasks are potentially more biologically feasible for real agents to use. Lastly, we explore the development of internal representations in the activations of artificial agent neural networks. These representations resemble place cells and head-direction cells found in mouse brains, and their presence has correlation to the navigation strategies that artificial agents employ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Liu
- Department of Mathematics, 155 E 1400 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84109, USA.
| | - Alla Borisyuk
- Department of Mathematics, 155 E 1400 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84109, USA.
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8
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Pawlaczyk NA, Milner R, Szmytke M, Kiljanek B, Bałaj B, Wypych A, Lewandowska M. Medial Temporal Lobe Atrophy in Older Adults With Subjective Cognitive Impairments Affects Gait Parameters in the Spatial Navigation Task. J Aging Phys Act 2024; 32:185-197. [PMID: 37989135 DOI: 10.1123/japa.2022-0335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Both navigation abilities and gait can be affected by the atrophy in the medial temporal cortex. This study aimed to determine whether navigation abilities could differentiate seniors with and without medial temporal lobe atrophy who complained about their cognitive status. The participants, classified to either the medial temporal atrophy group (n = 23) or the control group (n = 22) underwent neuropsychological assessment and performed a spatial navigation task while their gait parameters were recorded. The study showed no significant differences between the two groups in memory, fluency, and semantic knowledge or typical measures of navigating abilities. However, gait parameters, particularly the propulsion index during certain phases of the navigation task, distinguished between seniors with and without medial temporal lobe lesions. These findings suggest that the gait parameters in the navigation task may be a valuable tool for identifying seniors with cognitive complaints and subtle medial temporal atrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Anna Pawlaczyk
- Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Torun, Poland
| | - Rafał Milner
- Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Torun, Poland
| | | | - Bartłomiej Kiljanek
- Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Torun, Poland
| | - Bibianna Bałaj
- Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Torun, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Wypych
- Center for Modern Interdisciplinary Technologies, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Torun, Poland
| | - Monika Lewandowska
- Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Torun, Poland
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9
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Chen X, Wei Z, Wolbers T. Repetition Suppression Reveals Cue-Specific Spatial Representations for Landmarks and Self-Motion Cues in the Human Retrosplenial Cortex. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0294-23.2024. [PMID: 38519127 PMCID: PMC11007318 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0294-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The efficient use of various spatial cues within a setting is crucial for successful navigation. Two fundamental forms of spatial navigation, landmark-based and self-motion-based, engage distinct cognitive mechanisms. The question of whether these modes invoke shared or separate spatial representations in the brain remains unresolved. While nonhuman animal studies have yielded inconsistent results, human investigation is limited. In our previous work (Chen et al., 2019), we introduced a novel spatial navigation paradigm utilizing ultra-high field fMRI to explore neural coding of positional information. We found that different entorhinal subregions in the right hemisphere encode positional information for landmarks and self-motion cues. The present study tested the generalizability of our previous finding with a modified navigation paradigm. Although we did not replicate our previous finding in the entorhinal cortex, we identified adaptation-based allocentric positional codes for both cue types in the retrosplenial cortex (RSC), which were not confounded by the path to the spatial location. Crucially, the multi-voxel patterns of these spatial codes differed between the cue types, suggesting cue-specific positional coding. The parahippocampal cortex exhibited positional coding for self-motion cues, which was not dissociable from path length. Finally, the brain regions involved in successful navigation differed from our previous study, indicating overall distinct neural mechanisms recruited in our two studies. Taken together, the current findings demonstrate cue-specific allocentric positional coding in the human RSC in the same navigation task for the first time and that spatial representations in the brain are contingent on specific experimental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoli Chen
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P.R. China
| | - Ziwei Wei
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P.R. China
| | - Thomas Wolbers
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg 39120, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg 39106, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg 39106, Germany
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10
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Jiang Q, Wu KLK, Hu XQ, Cheung MH, Chen W, Ma CW, Shum DKY, Chan YS. Neonatal GABAergic transmission primes vestibular gating of output for adult spatial navigation. Cell Mol Life Sci 2024; 81:147. [PMID: 38502309 PMCID: PMC10951018 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-024-05170-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
GABAergic interneurons are poised with the capacity to shape circuit output via inhibitory gating. How early in the development of medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) are GABAergic neurons recruited for feedforward shaping of outputs to higher centers for spatial navigation? The role of early GABAergic transmission in assembling vestibular circuits for spatial navigation was explored by neonatal perturbation. Immunohistochemistry and confocal imaging were utilized to reveal the expression of parvalbumin (PV)-expressing MVN neurons and their perineuronal nets. Whole-cell patch-clamp recording, coupled with optogenetics, was conducted in vitro to examine the synaptic function of MVN circuitry. Chemogenetic targeting strategy was also employed in vivo to manipulate neuronal activity during navigational tests. We found in rats a neonatal critical period before postnatal day (P) 8 in which competitive antagonization of GABAergic transmission in the MVN retarded maturation of inhibitory neurotransmission, as evidenced by deranged developmental trajectory for excitation/inhibition ratio and an extended period of critical period-like plasticity in GABAergic transmission. Despite increased number of PV-expressing GABAergic interneurons in the MVN, optogenetic-coupled patch-clamp recording indicated null-recruitment of these neurons in tuning outputs along the ascending vestibular pathway. Such perturbation not only offset output dynamics of ascending MVN output neurons, but was further accompanied by impaired vestibular-dependent navigation in adulthood. The same perturbations were however non-consequential when applied after P8. Results highlight neonatal GABAergic transmission as key to establishing feedforward output dynamics to higher brain centers for spatial cognition and navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiufen Jiang
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kenneth Lap-Kei Wu
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Xiao-Qian Hu
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Man-Him Cheung
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenqiang Chen
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
- Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Chun-Wai Ma
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
| | - Daisy Kwok-Yan Shum
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.
| | - Ying-Shing Chan
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.
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11
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Topete A, He C, Protzko J, Schooler J, Hegarty M. How is GPS used? Understanding navigation system use and its relation to spatial ability. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2024; 9:16. [PMID: 38504081 PMCID: PMC10951145 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-024-00545-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Given how commonly GPS is now used in everyday navigation, it is surprising how little research has been dedicated to investigating variations in its use and how such variations may relate to navigation ability. The present study investigated general GPS dependence, how people report using GPS in various navigational scenarios, and the relationship between these measures and spatial abilities (assessed by self-report measures and the ability to learn the layout of a novel environment). GPS dependence is an individual's perceived need to use GPS in navigation, and GPS usage is the frequency with which they report using different functions of GPS. The study also assessed whether people modulate reported use of GPS as a function of their familiarity with the location in which they are navigating. In 249 participants over two preregistered studies, reported GPS dependence was negatively correlated with objective navigation performance and self-reported sense of direction, and positively correlated with spatial anxiety. Greater reported use of GPS for turn-by-turn directions was associated with a poorer sense of direction and higher spatial anxiety. People reported using GPS most frequently for time and traffic estimation, regardless of ability. Finally, people reported using GPS less, regardless of ability, when they were more familiar with an environment. Collectively these findings suggest that people moderate their use of GPS, depending on their knowledge, ability, and confidence in their own abilities, and often report using GPS to augment rather than replace spatial environmental knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Topete
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA.
| | - Chuanxiuyue He
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
- Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, USA
| | - John Protzko
- Department of Psychological Science, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, USA
| | - Jonathan Schooler
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
| | - Mary Hegarty
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
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12
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Desme CJ, Dick AS, Hayes TB, Pruden SM. Individual differences in emerging adults' spatial abilities: What role do affective factors play? Cogn Res Princ Implic 2024; 9:13. [PMID: 38499841 PMCID: PMC10948719 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-024-00538-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Spatial ability is defined as a cognitive or intellectual skill used to represent, transform, generate, and recall information of an object or the environment. Individual differences across spatial tasks have been strongly linked to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) interest and success. Several variables have been proposed to explain individual differences in spatial ability, including affective factors such as one's confidence and anxiety. However, research is lacking on whether affective variables such as confidence and anxiety relate to individual differences in both a mental rotation task (MRT) and a perspective-taking and spatial orientation task (PTSOT). Using a sample of 100 college students completing introductory STEM courses, the present study investigated the effects of self-reported spatial confidence, spatial anxiety, and general anxiety on MRT and PTSOT. Spatial confidence, after controlling for effects of general anxiety and biological sex, was significantly related to performance on both the MRT and PTSOT. Spatial anxiety, after controlling for effects of general anxiety and biological sex, was not related to either PTSOT or MRT scores. Together these findings suggest some affective factors, but not others, contribute to spatial ability performance to a degree that merits advanced investigation in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos J Desme
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL, 33199, USA.
| | - Anthony S Dick
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Timothy B Hayes
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Shannon M Pruden
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
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13
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Varshney A, Munns ME, Kasowski J, Zhou M, He C, Grafton ST, Giesbrecht B, Hegarty M, Beyeler M. Stress affects navigation strategies in immersive virtual reality. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5949. [PMID: 38467699 PMCID: PMC10928118 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56048-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
There are known individual differences in both the ability to learn the layout of novel environments and the flexibility of strategies for navigating known environments. However, it is unclear how navigational abilities are impacted by high-stress scenarios. Here we used immersive virtual reality (VR) to develop a novel behavioral paradigm to examine navigation under dynamically changing situations. We recruited 48 participants (24 female; ages 17-32) to navigate a virtual maze (7.5 m × 7.5 m). Participants learned the maze by moving along a fixed path past the maze's landmarks (paintings). Subsequently, participants experienced either a non-stress condition, or a high-stress condition tasking them with navigating the maze. In the high-stress condition, their initial path was blocked, the environment was darkened, threatening music was played, fog obstructed more distal views of the environment, and participants were given a time limit of 20 s with a countdown timer displayed at the top of their screen. On trials where the path was blocked, we found self-reported stress levels and distance traveled increased while trial completion rate decreased (as compared to non-stressed control trials). On unblocked stress trials, participants were less likely to take a shortcut and consequently navigated less efficiently compared to control trials. Participants with more trait spatial anxiety reported more stress and navigated less efficiently. Overall, our results suggest that navigational abilities change considerably under high-stress conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Apurv Varshney
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Mitchell E Munns
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
| | - Justin Kasowski
- Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Dynamical Neuroscience, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Mantong Zhou
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Chuanxiuyue He
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Scott T Grafton
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Barry Giesbrecht
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Mary Hegarty
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Michael Beyeler
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
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14
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Haseltine EL, Beran MJ. Maze runners: monkeys show restricted Arabic numeral summation during computerized two-arm maze performance. Anim Cogn 2024; 27:23. [PMID: 38443540 PMCID: PMC10914902 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01853-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Mazes have been used in many forms to provide compelling results showcasing nonhuman animals' capacities for spatial navigation, planning, and numerical competence. The current study presented computerized two-arm mazes to four rhesus macaques. Using these mazes, we assessed whether the monkeys could maximize rewards by overcoming mild delays in gratification and sum the values of Arabic numerals. Across four test phases, monkeys used a joystick controller to choose one of two maze arms on the screen. Each maze arm contained zero, one or two Arabic numerals, and any numerals in the chosen maze arm provided the monkeys with rewards equivalent to the value of those numerals. When deciding which arm to enter, monkeys had to consider distance to numerals and numeral value. In some tests, gaining the maximum reward required summing the value of two numerals within a given arm. All four monkeys successfully maximized reward when comparing single numerals and when comparing arms that each contained two numerals. However, some biases occurred that were suboptimal: the largest single numeral and the delay of reward (by placing numerals farther into an arm from the start location) sometimes interfered with the monkeys' abilities to optimize. These results indicate that monkeys experience difficulties with inhibition toward single, high valence stimuli in tasks where those stimuli must be considered in relation to overall value when represented by symbolic stimuli such as numerals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael J Beran
- Psychology Department, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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15
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McDougal E, Gilligan-Lee KA, Gilmore C, Farran EK. Construction play frequency and relations with spatial ability and mathematics performance. Br J Dev Psychol 2024; 42:72-77. [PMID: 37929328 DOI: 10.1111/bjdp.12465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
The nature of the home mathematics environment (which includes numerical and spatial activities at home) is related to children's spatial and mathematics performance. The current study investigated concrete and digital construction play frequency and relations with spatial and mathematical skills. Participants aged 7-9 years (N = 634) reported their frequency of construction play (concrete and digital) and completed direct measures of spatial ability and mathematics performance. Correlations between measures revealed no association between construction play frequency and outcome measures. This suggests that quantity of construction play is not pertinent for spatial and mathematics skills, however future research should explore whether quality of play is an important factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- E McDougal
- School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
- Evidence Based Practice Unit, Anna Freud, University College London, London, UK
| | - K A Gilligan-Lee
- Centre for Educational Neuroscience, University of London, London, UK
- School of Psychology, University College, Dublin, Ireland
| | - C Gilmore
- Centre for Mathematical Cognition, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
| | - E K Farran
- School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
- Centre for Educational Neuroscience, University of London, London, UK
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16
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Langlois J, Hamstra SJ, Dagenais Y, Lemieux R, Lecourtois M, Yetisir E, Bellemare C, Bergeron G, Wells GA. Objects drawn from haptic perception and vision-based spatial abilities. Anat Sci Educ 2024; 17:433-443. [PMID: 38108595 DOI: 10.1002/ase.2366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Haptic perception is used in the anatomy laboratory with the handling of three-dimensional (3D) prosections, dissections, and synthetic models of anatomical structures. Vision-based spatial ability has been found to correlate with performance on tests of 3D anatomy knowledge in previous studies. The objective was to explore whether haptic-based spatial ability was correlated with vision-based spatial ability. Vision-based spatial ability was measured in a study group of 49 medical graduates with three separate tests: a redrawn Vandenberg and Kuse Mental Rotations Tests in two (MRT A) and three (MRT C) dimensions and a Surface Development Test (SDT). Haptic-based spatial ability was measured using 18 different objects constructed from 10 cubes glued together. Participants were asked to draw these objects from blind haptic perception, and drawings were scored by two independent judges. The maximum score was 24 for each of MRT A and MRT C, 60 for SDT, and 18 for the drawings. The drawing score based on haptic perception [median = 17 (lower quartile = 16, upper quartile = 18)] correlated with MRT A [14 (9, 17)], MRT C [9 (7, 12)] and SDT [44 (36, 52)] scores with a Spearman's rank correlation coefficient of 0.395 (p = 0.0049), 0.507 (p = 0.0002) and 0.606 (p < 0.0001), respectively. Spatial abilities assessed by vision-based tests were correlated with a drawing score based on haptic perception of objects. Future research should investigate the contribution of haptic-based and vision-based spatial abilities on learning 3D anatomy from physical models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Langlois
- Department of Emergency Medicine, CIUSSS de l'Estrie-Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Surgery, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - Stanley J Hamstra
- Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Holland Bone and Joint Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Yvan Dagenais
- Department of Surgery, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Letters and Communications, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - Renald Lemieux
- Health Data Strategy, CIUSSS de l'Estrie-Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - Marc Lecourtois
- Mental Health Programme, CIUSSS de l'Estrie-Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke, Granby, Quebec, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Yetisir
- Cardiovascular Research Methods Centre, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christian Bellemare
- Department of Multidisciplinary Services, Clinical Quality Division, CIUSSS de l'Estrie-Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - Germain Bergeron
- Neuropsychology Program of the Trauma and Critical Care Group, CIUSSS de l'Estrie-Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - George A Wells
- Cardiovascular Research Methods Centre, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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17
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Bracken A, Hauss J, Grinshpun S, Lasc D, Hershkovich A, Yang Y. A profile of spatial abilities in people with Down syndrome. J Intellect Disabil Res 2024; 68:223-236. [PMID: 38072820 PMCID: PMC10872588 DOI: 10.1111/jir.13111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Spatial abilities are fundamental cognitive abilities, have direct applications in daily life, serve as a cognitive foundation for many other complex skills and are used in many specialty jobs. The current study aimed to systematically and comprehensively evaluate the spatial abilities of individuals with Down syndrome (DS) relative to mental ability-matched typically developing (TD) children based on Newcombe and Shipley's double-dimension theoretical framework for classifying spatial abilities. METHODS Forty adolescents and young adults with DS and 40 TD children completed a nonverbal intelligence test (Raven's), two measures of static-extrinsic skills (water-level task and cart task), two measures of static-intrinsic skills (figure ground and form completion), two measures of dynamic-extrinsic skills (three mountains task and dog task) and two measures of dynamic-intrinsic spatial skills (mental rotation task and block design task). RESULTS Participants with DS showed reduced performance on two dynamic-intrinsic tasks and one static-extrinsic task (i.e. cart task) relative to TD children. Performances were similar in two dynamic-extrinsic tasks and two static-intrinsic tasks. Analyses of composite accuracy for each spatial category further confirmed deficits in dynamic-intrinsic and static-extrinsic categories for people with DS relative to TD children. CONCLUSIONS Our results showed an uneven profile of spatial abilities in people with DS relative to ability-matched TD children with particular weaknesses in comprehending and manipulating dynamic-intrinsic and static-extrinsic spatial relations. Furthermore, our research has important clinical implications for more targeted interventions to improve spatial abilities in people with DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Bracken
- Department of Psychology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, USA
| | - J Hauss
- Department of Psychology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, USA
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers University - New Brunswick, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - S Grinshpun
- Department of Psychology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, USA
| | - D Lasc
- Department of Psychology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, USA
| | - A Hershkovich
- Department of Psychology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, USA
| | - Y Yang
- Department of Psychology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, USA
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18
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Levine TF, Allison SL, Dessenberger SJ, Head D. Clinical utility of self- and informant-reported memory, attention, and spatial navigation in detecting biomarkers associated with Alzheimer disease in clinically normal adults. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2024; 30:232-243. [PMID: 37642015 DOI: 10.1017/s1355617723000528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Preclinical Alzheimer disease (AD) has been associated with subtle changes in memory, attention, and spatial navigation abilities. The current study examined whether self- and informant-reported domain-specific cognitive changes are sensitive to AD-associated biomarkers. METHOD Clinically normal adults aged 56-93 and their informants completed the memory, divided attention, and visuospatial abilities (which assesses spatial navigation) subsections of the Everyday Cognition Scale (ECog). Reliability and validity of these subsections were examined using Cronbach's alpha and confirmatory factor analysis. Logistic regression was used to examine the ability of ECog subsections to predict AD-related biomarkers (cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) ptau181/Aβ42 ratio (N = 371) or hippocampal volume (N = 313)). Hierarchical logistic regression was used to examine whether the self-reported subsections continued to predict biomarkers when controlling for depressive symptomatology if available (N = 197). Additionally, logistic regression was used to examine the ability of neuropsychological composites assessing the same or similar cognitive domains as the subsections (memory, executive function, and visuospatial abilities) to predict biomarkers to allow for comparison of the predictive ability of subjective and objective measures. RESULTS All subsections demonstrated appropriate reliability and validity. Self-reported memory (with outliers removed) was the only significant predictor of AD biomarker positivity (i.e., CSF ptau181/Aβ42 ratio; p = .018) but was not significant when examined in the subsample with depressive symptomatology available (p = .517). Self-reported memory (with outliers removed) was a significant predictor of CSF ptau181/Aβ42 ratio biomarker positivity when the objective memory composite was included in the model. CONCLUSIONS ECog subsections were not robust predictors of AD biomarker positivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor F Levine
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Samantha L Allison
- Neurosciences Institute at Intermountain Medical Center, Murray, UT, USA
| | - Steven J Dessenberger
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Denise Head
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Charles F. and Joanna Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
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19
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Gentle J, Shakur A, Ivanova M, Gilligan-Lee K. Navigation abilities and spatial anxiety in individuals with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD/Dyspraxia). Res Dev Disabil 2024; 146:104672. [PMID: 38278038 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Navigation skills are essential for independent living as they allow us to explore our environment; find our way to new locations, refine pathways to familiar locations and retrace our route home. Alongside motor coordination difficulties, there is evidence that individuals with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD/Dyspraxia) experience spatial processing difficulties, which are known to negatively affect navigation abilities. However, although self-reports indicate that adults with DCD have difficulties with sense of direction and navigation, no known studies have measured navigation abilities and strategies in adults with DCD. Furthermore, given evidence that individuals with DCD report higher levels of anxiety, we will additionally investigate associations between anxiety and navigation in this group. AIMS This study compares navigation abilities, navigation strategies and spatial anxiety in adults with and without DCD. METHODS Participants include 226 Adults aged 18-55 years, across two groups 1) DCD (N = 138, 111 F:25 M; 2:Other) 2); Typically Developing (N = 88, 77 F: 11 M). In this cross-sectional study, participants completed a series of tasks on the online Qualtrics platform. This included the Adult Developmental Coordination Disorder Checklist, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Wayfinding Anxiety Measure, the Wayfinding Questionnaire, the Wayfinding Strategy Questionnaire, and a navigation task. RESULTS Our analysis shows that 1) compared to those with typical development, individuals with DCD have similar navigation performance but lower navigation and orientation scores, and distance estimation scores. 2) Movement co-ordination difficulties were only a significant predictor of landmark recognition and egocentric path route knowledge, and played no role for other aspects of navigation performance. 3) For wayfinding strategy use the DCD group used orientation strategies significantly less often than those with typical development, however there was no group difference in the use of route strategies. 4) The DCD group had significantly higher spatial anxiety scores across navigation, manipulation and imagery spatial sub-domains, even after controlling for general anxiety. 5) Spatial navigation anxiety was a significant predictor of navigational skill for all three wayfinding measures (navigation & orientation, distance estimation and spatial anxiety). CONCLUSIONS The findings establish benchmarks of navigational skills in DCD and highlight spatial anxiety and route strategies as factors that may inhibit navigation success and could help specify suitable intervention targets.
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Rekers S, Finke C. Translating spatial navigation evaluation from experimental to clinical settings: The virtual environments navigation assessment (VIENNA). Behav Res Methods 2024; 56:2033-2048. [PMID: 37166580 PMCID: PMC10991013 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-023-02134-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Spatial navigation abilities are frequently impaired in neurological disorders and they also decline with normal aging. Researchers and clinicians therefore need valid and easy-to-use spatial navigation assessment tools to study the impact of different neuropathologies and prevent relevant cognitive impairments from going undetected. However, current experimental paradigms rarely address which cognitive processes they recruit, often have resource-intensive setups, and usually require active navigation, e.g., using a joystick or keyboard, thus confounding cognitive performance with fine motor skills. Yet, for clinical feasibility, time-efficient paradigms are needed that are informative and easy to administer in participants with limited technical experience and diverging impairments. Here, we introduce the virtual environments navigation assessment (VIENNA), a virtual adaptation of a brief, standardized, and intuitive spatial navigation paradigm ( https://osf.io/kp4c5/ ). VIENNA is designed to assess spatial navigation without episodic memory demands, requires no interface device, and takes about 16 min to complete. We evaluated VIENNA in 79 healthy middle-aged to older participants (50-85 years) and provide evidence for its feasibility and construct validity. Tests of visuospatial and executive functions, but not episodic memory or selective attention, were identified as cognitive correlates of VIENNA, even when controlling for participant age and overall cognitive performance. Furthermore, VIENNA scores correlated with subjective navigation ability and age, but not with depressiveness, cognitive complaints, or education. The straightforward administration of VIENNA allows for its integration into routine neuropsychological assessments and enables differentiated evaluation of spatial navigation performance in patients with motor impairments and episodic memory deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia Rekers
- Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Carsten Finke
- Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Sweller N, Choi AJ, Austin E. Gesture production at encoding supports narrative recall. Psychol Res 2024; 88:535-546. [PMID: 37857913 PMCID: PMC10858132 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-023-01886-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Existing research is inconsistent regarding the effects of gesture production on narrative recall. Most studies have examined the effects of gesture production during a recall phase, not during encoding, and findings regarding gesture's effects are mixed. The present study examined whether producing gestures at encoding could benefit an individual's narrative recall and whether this effect is moderated by verbal memory and spatial ability. This study also investigated whether producing certain types of gesture is most beneficial to recalling details of a narrative. Participants read a narrative aloud while producing their own gestures at pre-specified phrases in the narrative (Instructed Gesture condition), while placing both their hands behind their backs (No Gesture condition) or with no specific instructions regarding gesture (Spontaneous Gesture condition). Participants completed measures of spatial ability and verbal memory. Recall was measured through both free recall, and specific recall questions related to particular phrases in the narrative. Spontaneous gesture production at encoding benefited free recall, while instructed gestures provided the greatest benefit for recall of specific phrases where gesture had been prompted during encoding. Conversely, for recall of specific phrases where gesture had not been prompted during encoding, instructions to either gesture or not gesture suppressed recall for those higher in verbal memory. Finally, producing iconic and deictic gestures provided benefits for narrative recall, whilst beat gestures had no effect. Gestures play an important role in how we encode and subsequently recall information, providing an opportunity to support cognitive capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi Sweller
- School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia.
| | | | - Elizabeth Austin
- Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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22
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Weisberg SM, Ebner NC, Seidler RD. Getting LOST: A conceptual framework for supporting and enhancing spatial navigation in aging. Wiley Interdiscip Rev Cogn Sci 2024; 15:e1669. [PMID: 37933623 PMCID: PMC10939954 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
Spatial navigation is more difficult and effortful for older than younger individuals, a shift which occurs for a variety of neurological, physical, and cognitive reasons associated with aging. Despite a large body of evidence documenting age-related deficits in spatial navigation, comparatively less research addresses how to facilitate more effective navigation behavior for older adults. Since navigation challenges arise for a variety of reasons in old age, a one-size-fits-all solution is unlikely to work. Here, we introduce a framework for the variety of spatial navigation challenges faced in aging, which we call LOST-Location, Orientation, Spatial mapping, and Transit. The LOST framework builds on evidence from the cognitive neuroscience of spatial navigation, which reveals distinct components underpinning human wayfinding. We evaluate research on navigational aids-devices and depictions-which help people find their way around; and we reflect on how navigation aids solve (or fail to solve) specific wayfinding difficulties faced by older adults. In summary, we emphasize a bespoke approach to improving spatial navigation in aging, which focuses on tailoring navigation solutions to specific navigation challenges. Our hope is that by providing precise support to older navigators, navigation opportunities can facilitate independence and exploration, while minimizing the danger of becoming lost. We conclude by delineating critical knowledge gaps in how to improve older adults' spatial navigation capacities that the novel LOST framework could guide to address. This article is categorized under: Psychology > Development and Aging Neuroscience > Cognition Neuroscience > Behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven M. Weisberg
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, 945 Center Dr., Gainesville, FL 32611
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, 1225 Center Dr., Gainesville, FL 32611
| | - Natalie C. Ebner
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, 945 Center Dr., Gainesville, FL 32611
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, 1225 Center Dr., Gainesville, FL 32611
- Institute on Aging, University of Florida, 2004 Mowry Rd., Gainesville, FL 32611
- Department of Physiology and Aging, University of Florida, 1345 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL 32610-0274
| | - Rachael D. Seidler
- Department of Applied Physiology & Kinesiology, University of Florida, 1864 Stadium Rd., Gainesville, FL 32611
- Department of Neurology, University of Florida, 1149 Newell Dr., Gainesville, FL 32611
- Normal Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, 3009 SW Williston Rd. 1864 Stadium Rd., Gainesville, FL 32608
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23
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Lai AT, Espinosa G, Wink GE, Angeloni CF, Dombeck DA, MacIver MA. A robot-rodent interaction arena with adjustable spatial complexity for ethologically relevant behavioral studies. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113671. [PMID: 38280195 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Outside of the laboratory, animals behave in spaces where they can transition between open areas and coverage as they interact with others. Replicating these conditions in the laboratory can be difficult to control and record. This has led to a dominance of relatively simple, static behavioral paradigms that reduce the ethological relevance of behaviors and may alter the engagement of cognitive processes such as planning and decision-making. Therefore, we developed a method for controllable, repeatable interactions with others in a reconfigurable space. Mice navigate a large honeycomb lattice of adjustable obstacles as they interact with an autonomous robot coupled to their actions. We illustrate the system using the robot as a pseudo-predator, delivering airpuffs to the mice. The combination of obstacles and a mobile threat elicits a diverse set of behaviors, such as increased path diversity, peeking, and baiting, providing a method to explore ethologically relevant behaviors in the laboratory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander T Lai
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Technological Institute E311, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - German Espinosa
- Department of Computer Science, Northwestern University, Seeley Mudd 3219, 2233 Tech Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Gabrielle E Wink
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technological Institute B224, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Christopher F Angeloni
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Hogan 2-160, 2205 Tech Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Daniel A Dombeck
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Hogan 2-160, 2205 Tech Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
| | - Malcolm A MacIver
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Technological Institute E311, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Computer Science, Northwestern University, Seeley Mudd 3219, 2233 Tech Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technological Institute B224, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Hogan 2-160, 2205 Tech Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
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24
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Yavuz E, Gahnstrom CJ, Goodroe S, Coutrot A, Hornberger M, Lazar AS, Spiers HJ. Shorter self-reported sleep duration is associated with worse virtual spatial navigation performance in men. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4093. [PMID: 38374314 PMCID: PMC10876962 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52662-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Sleep has been shown to impact navigation ability. However, it remains unclear how different sleep-related variables may be independently associated with spatial navigation performance, and as to whether gender may play a role in these associations. We used a mobile video game app, Sea Hero Quest (SHQ), to measure wayfinding ability in US-based participants. Wayfinding performance on SHQ has been shown to correlate with real-world wayfinding. Participants were asked to report their sleep duration, quality, daytime sleepiness and nap frequency and duration on a typical night (n = 766, 335 men, 431 women, mean age = 26.5 years, range = 18-59 years). A multiple linear regression was used to identify which self-reported sleep variables were independently associated with wayfinding performance. Shorter self-reported sleep durations were significantly associated with worse wayfinding performance in men only. Other self-reported sleep variables showed non-significant trends of association with wayfinding performance. When removing non-typical sleepers (< 6 or > 9 h of sleep on a typical night), the significant association between sleep duration and spatial navigation performance in men was no longer present. These findings from U.S.-based participants suggest that a longer self-reported sleep duration may be an important contributor to successful navigation ability in men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emre Yavuz
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, Department of Experimental Psychology, Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK.
| | | | - Sarah Goodroe
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | | | - Alpar S Lazar
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
| | - Hugo J Spiers
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, Department of Experimental Psychology, Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK.
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25
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Jeffery KJ, Cheng K, Newcombe NS, Bingman VP, Menzel R. Unpacking the navigation toolbox: insights from comparative cognition. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20231304. [PMID: 38320615 PMCID: PMC10846957 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The study of navigation is informed by ethological data from many species, laboratory investigation at behavioural and neurobiological levels, and computational modelling. However, the data are often species-specific, making it challenging to develop general models of how biology supports behaviour. Wiener et al. outlined a framework for organizing the results across taxa, called the 'navigation toolbox' (Wiener et al. In Animal thinking: contemporary issues in comparative cognition (eds R Menzel, J Fischer), pp. 51-76). This framework proposes that spatial cognition is a hierarchical process in which sensory inputs at the lowest level are successively combined into ever-more complex representations, culminating in a metric or quasi-metric internal model of the world (cognitive map). Some animals, notably humans, also use symbolic representations to produce an external representation, such as a verbal description, signpost or map that allows communication of spatial information or instructions between individuals. Recently, new discoveries have extended our understanding of how spatial representations are constructed, highlighting that the hierarchical relationships are bidirectional, with higher levels feeding back to influence lower levels. In the light of these new developments, we revisit the navigation toolbox, elaborate it and incorporate new findings. The toolbox provides a common framework within which the results from different taxa can be described and compared, yielding a more detailed, mechanistic and generalized understanding of navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate J. Jeffery
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QB, UK
| | - Ken Cheng
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Nora S. Newcombe
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Verner P. Bingman
- J.P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind and Behavior, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403-0001, USA
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403-0001, USA
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Institute for Biology, Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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26
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Hamid A, Gattuso H, Caglar AN, Pillai M, Steele T, Gonzalez A, Nagel K, Syed MH. The conserved RNA-binding protein Imp is required for the specification and function of olfactory navigation circuitry in Drosophila. Curr Biol 2024; 34:473-488.e6. [PMID: 38181792 PMCID: PMC10872534 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
Complex behaviors depend on the precise developmental specification of neuronal circuits, but the relationship between genetic programs for neural development, circuit structure, and behavioral output is often unclear. The central complex (CX) is a conserved sensory-motor integration center in insects, which governs many higher-order behaviors and largely derives from a small number of type II neural stem cells (NSCs). Here, we show that Imp, a conserved IGF-II mRNA-binding protein expressed in type II NSCs, plays a role in specifying essential components of CX olfactory navigation circuitry. We show the following: (1) that multiple components of olfactory navigation circuitry arise from type II NSCs. (2) Manipulating Imp expression in type II NSCs alters the number and morphology of many of these circuit elements, with the most potent effects on neurons targeting the ventral layers of the fan-shaped body (FB). (3) Imp regulates the specification of Tachykinin-expressing ventral FB input neurons. (4) Imp is required in type II NSCs for establishing proper morphology of the CX neuropil structures. (5) Loss of Imp in type II NSCs abolishes upwind orientation to attractive odor while leaving locomotion and odor-evoked regulation of movement intact. Taken together, our findings establish that a temporally expressed gene can regulate the expression of a complex behavior by developmentally regulating the specification of multiple circuit components and provides a first step toward a developmental dissection of the CX and its roles in behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aisha Hamid
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, 219 Yale Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Hannah Gattuso
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU Medical Center, 435 E 30th St., New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Aysu Nora Caglar
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, 219 Yale Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Midhula Pillai
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU Medical Center, 435 E 30th St., New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Theresa Steele
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU Medical Center, 435 E 30th St., New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Alexa Gonzalez
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, 219 Yale Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Katherine Nagel
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU Medical Center, 435 E 30th St., New York, NY 10016, USA.
| | - Mubarak Hussain Syed
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, 219 Yale Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
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27
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Agron AM, Martin A, Gilmore AW. Scene construction and autobiographical memory retrieval in autism spectrum disorder. Autism Res 2024; 17:204-214. [PMID: 38037250 PMCID: PMC10922094 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently exhibit difficulties in retrieving autobiographical memories (AMs) of specific events from their life. Such memory deficits are frequently attributed to underlying disruptions in self-referential or social cognition processes. This makes intuitive sense as these are hallmarks of ASD. However, an emerging literature suggests that parallel deficits also exist in ASD individuals' ability to reconstruct the rich spatial contexts in which events occur. This is a capacity known as scene construction, and in typically developing individuals is considered a core process in retrieving AMs. In this review, we discuss evidence of difficulties with scene construction in ASD, drawing upon experiments that involve AM retrieval, other forms of mental time travel, and spatial navigation. We also highlight aspects of extant data that cannot be accounted for using purely social explanations of memory deficits in ASD. We conclude by identifying key questions raised by our framework and suggest how they might be addressed in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M. Agron
- Section on Cognitive Neuropsychology, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, NIMH/NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Alex Martin
- Section on Cognitive Neuropsychology, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, NIMH/NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Adrian W. Gilmore
- Section on Cognitive Neuropsychology, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, NIMH/NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892
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28
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He Q, Liu JL, Eschapasse L, Zagora AK, Brown TI. The neural correlates of memory integration in value-based decision-making during human spatial navigation. Neuropsychologia 2024; 193:108758. [PMID: 38103679 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
In daily life, we often make decisions based on relative value of the options, and we often derive these values from segmenting or integrating the outcomes of past episodes in memory. The neural correlates involved in value-based decision-making have been extensively studied in the literature, but few studies have investigated this topic in decisions that require segmenting or integrating episodic memory from related sources, and even fewer studies examine it in the context of spatial navigation. Building on the computational models from our previous studies, the current study investigates the neural substrates involved in decisions that require people either segment or integrate wayfinding outcomes involving different goals, across virtual spatial navigation tasks with differing demands. We find that when decisions require computation of spatial distances for navigation options, but also evaluation of one's prior spatial navigation ability with the task, the estimated value of navigational choices (EV) modulates neural activity in the dorsomedial prefrontal (dmPFC) cortex and ventrolateral prefrontal (vlFPC) cortex. However, superior parietal cortex tracked EV when decision-making tasks only require spatial distance memory but not evaluation of spatial navigation ability. Our findings reveal divergent neural substrates of memory integration in value-based decision-making under different spatial processing demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiliang He
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA.
| | - Jancy Ling Liu
- School of Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
| | - Lou Eschapasse
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
| | - Anna K Zagora
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
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29
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Smith AJ, Tasnim N, Psaras Z, Gyamfi D, Makani K, Suzuki WA, Basso JC. Assessing Human Spatial Navigation in a Virtual Space and its Sensitivity to Exercise. J Vis Exp 2024. [PMID: 38345261 DOI: 10.3791/65332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Spatial navigation (SN) is the ability to locomote through the environment, which requires an understanding of where one is located in time and space. This capacity is known to rely on the sequential firing of place cells within the hippocampus. SN is an important behavior to investigate as this process deteriorates with age, especially in neurodegenerative disorders. However, the investigation of SN is limited by the lack of sophisticated behavioral techniques to assess this hippocampal-dependent task. Therefore, the goal of this protocol was to develop a novel, real-world approach to studying SN in humans. Specifically, an active virtual SN task was developed using a cross-platform game engine. During the encoding phase, participants navigated their way through a virtual city to locate landmarks. During the remembering phase, participants remembered where these reward locations were and delivered items to these locations. Time to find each location was captured and episodic memory was assessed by a free recall phase, including aspects of place, order, item, and association. Movement behavior (x, y, and z coordinates) was assessed through an asset available in the game engine. Importantly, results from this task demonstrate that it accurately captures both spatial learning and memory abilities as well as episodic memory. Further, findings indicate that this task is sensitive to exercise, which improves hippocampal functioning. Overall, the findings suggest a novel way to track human hippocampal functioning over the course of time, with this behavior being sensitive to physical activity training paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Noor Tasnim
- Graduate Program in Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health, Virginia Tech
| | - Zach Psaras
- Center for Neural Science, New York University
| | - Daphne Gyamfi
- Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, Virginia Tech
| | - Krishna Makani
- Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, Virginia Tech
| | | | - Julia C Basso
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Tech; Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, Virginia Tech; Center for Health Behaviors Research, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC;
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30
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Tada K, Sorimachi Y, Kutsuzawa K, Owaki D, Hayashibe M. Integrated Quantitative Evaluation of Spatial Cognition and Motor Function with HoloLens Mixed Reality. Sensors (Basel) 2024; 24:528. [PMID: 38257621 PMCID: PMC10819263 DOI: 10.3390/s24020528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
The steady increase in the aging population worldwide is expected to cause a shortage of doctors and therapists for older people. This demographic shift requires more efficient and automated systems for rehabilitation and physical ability evaluations. Rehabilitation using mixed reality (MR) technology has attracted much attention in recent years. MR displays virtual objects on a head-mounted see-through display that overlies the user's field of vision and allows users to manipulate them as if they exist in reality. However, tasks in previous studies applying MR to rehabilitation have been limited to tasks in which the virtual objects are static and do not interact dynamically with the surrounding environment. Therefore, in this study, we developed an application to evaluate cognitive and motor functions with the aim of realizing a rehabilitation system that is dynamic and has interaction with the surrounding environment using MR technology. The developed application enabled effective evaluation of the user's spatial cognitive ability, task skillfulness, motor function, and decision-making ability. The results indicate the usefulness and feasibility of MR technology to quantify motor function and spatial cognition both for static and dynamic tasks in rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yuhei Sorimachi
- Neuro-Robotics Lab, Department of Robotics, Graduate School of Engineering and also with Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, Japan; (K.T.); (K.K.); (D.O.)
| | | | | | - Mitsuhiro Hayashibe
- Neuro-Robotics Lab, Department of Robotics, Graduate School of Engineering and also with Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, Japan; (K.T.); (K.K.); (D.O.)
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31
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Bocchi A, Palmiero M, Persichetti F, Matteoli M, Guariglia C, Piccardi L. Giant chess game enhances spatial navigational skills in 6-years-old children: preliminary findings. Appl Neuropsychol Child 2024; 13:37-44. [PMID: 36041460 DOI: 10.1080/21622965.2022.2112680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The game of chess is a valuable extracurricular activity for children, with positive effects on their cognitive skills and academic achievements. We investigated the extent to which the Giant Chess Game (GCG) played on a giant chessboard enhances working memory in "navigational-vista" space and "reaching" space. We also assessed if the GCG enhances mental rotation skills. For 10 weeks, 15 children (GCG group) were involved in a giant chess class, while 15 gender and age-matched children were involved in standard didactics (control group-CG). Children were tested twice, before (T0) and after (T1) the GCG, by tasks aimed at measuring: visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM) in the navigational-vista space (Walking Corsi test); VSWM in the reaching space (Corsi Block-Tapping task); mental rotation (Rotating Flowers test). We found that the GCG group significantly improved its performance more than the CG in VSWM in both navigational-vista space and reaching space, as well as in mental rotation. Our results suggest that the GCG has positive effects on visuo-spatial abilities underlying topographical skills. Therefore, the training using GCG can help enhancing spatial ability and may have a role in contrasting the spreading of navigational deficits such as the Developmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD).
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Bocchi
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Palmiero
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | | | | | - Cecilia Guariglia
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Piccardi
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Santa Lucia Foundation, Roma, Italy
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32
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Morag I, Parush A. The effect of verbal instructions while using digital indoor wayfinding devices on gender, performance, and self-reported strategies. Appl Ergon 2024; 114:104160. [PMID: 37918278 DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2023.104160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Studies indicate that verbal instructions may impact associations between gender and wayfinding performance (measured via relative direction pointing accuracy and walking pace). Following the increasing use of digital navigation applications in indoor environments, and their implications on acquiring and processing spatial information, the aim of this study is to evaluate the stability of previously established associations. The study included 34 participants (16 females) aged 24-34 and was conducted in an indoor hospital setting. In addition to using a navigation application, one of three types of verbal instructions (route, survey, or none) were given in each wayfinding scenario. Self-reported wayfinding strategies were also assessed. The findings indicate that male participants made fewer pointing accuracy errors and walked faster than females, regardless of the type of instructions given, implying that the impact of naturally employed wayfinding strategies by gender (route for females; survey for males) on wayfinding performance may be more dominant than that of navigational devices. In addition, when males and females were exposed to their unnatural wayfinding strategy, no significant differences were seen in either group's self-reported wayfinding strategies. These findings may suggest that applying survey knowledge to females may improve their indoor wayfinding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ido Morag
- Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, School of Industrial Engineering and Management, Ramat-Gan 5252626, Israel.
| | - Avi Parush
- Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Faculty of Data and Decision Science, Haifa 32000, Israel.
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33
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Bowler JC, Losonczy A. Direct cortical inputs to hippocampal area CA1 transmit complementary signals for goal-directed navigation. Neuron 2023; 111:4071-4085.e6. [PMID: 37816349 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023]
Abstract
The subregions of the entorhinal cortex (EC) are conventionally thought to compute dichotomous representations for spatial processing, with the medial EC (MEC) providing a global spatial map and the lateral EC (LEC) encoding specific sensory details of experience. Yet, little is known about the specific types of information EC transmits downstream to the hippocampus. Here, we exploit in vivo sub-cellular imaging to record from EC axons in CA1 while mice perform navigational tasks in virtual reality (VR). We uncover distinct yet overlapping representations of task, location, and context in both MEC and LEC axons. MEC transmitted highly location- and context-specific codes; LEC inputs were biased by ongoing navigational goals. However, during tasks with reliable reward locations, the animals' position could be accurately decoded from either subregion. Our results revise the prevailing dogma about EC information processing, revealing novel ways spatial and non-spatial information is routed and combined upstream of the hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- John C Bowler
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
| | - Attila Losonczy
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
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34
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Lee TJ, Briggman KL. Visually guided and context-dependent spatial navigation in the translucent fish Danionella cerebrum. Curr Biol 2023; 33:5467-5477.e4. [PMID: 38070503 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.11.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Danionella cerebrum (DC) is a promising vertebrate animal model for systems neuroscience due to its small adult brain volume and inherent optical transparency, but the scope of their cognitive abilities remains an area of active research. In this work, we established a behavioral paradigm to study visual spatial navigation in DC and investigate their navigational capabilities and strategies. We initially observed that adult DC exhibit strong negative phototaxis in groups but less so as individuals. Using their dark preference as a motivator, we designed a spatial navigation task inspired by the Morris water maze. Through a series of environmental cue manipulations, we found that DC utilize visual cues to anticipate a reward location and found evidence for landmark-based navigational strategies wherein DC could use both proximal and distal visual cues. When subsets of proximal visual cues were occluded, DC were capable of using distant contextual visual information to solve the task, providing evidence for allocentric spatial navigation. Without proximal visual cues, DC tended to seek out a direct line of sight with at least one distal visual cue while maintaining a positional bias toward the reward location. In total, our behavioral results suggest that DC can be used to study the neural mechanisms underlying spatial navigation with cellular resolution imaging across an adult vertebrate brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J Lee
- Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior - caesar, Department of Computational Neuroethology, Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2, Bonn, 53175 North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
| | - Kevin L Briggman
- Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior - caesar, Department of Computational Neuroethology, Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2, Bonn, 53175 North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
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35
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Muhle-Karbe PS, Sheahan H, Pezzulo G, Spiers HJ, Chien S, Schuck NW, Summerfield C. Goal-seeking compresses neural codes for space in the human hippocampus and orbitofrontal cortex. Neuron 2023; 111:3885-3899.e6. [PMID: 37725981 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.08.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Humans can navigate flexibly to meet their goals. Here, we asked how the neural representation of allocentric space is distorted by goal-directed behavior. Participants navigated an agent to two successive goal locations in a grid world environment comprising four interlinked rooms, with a contextual cue indicating the conditional dependence of one goal location on another. Examining the neural geometry by which room and context were encoded in fMRI signals, we found that map-like representations of the environment emerged in both hippocampus and neocortex. Cognitive maps in hippocampus and orbitofrontal cortices were compressed so that locations cued as goals were coded together in neural state space, and these distortions predicted successful learning. This effect was captured by a computational model in which current and prospective locations are jointly encoded in a place code, providing a theory of how goals warp the neural representation of space in macroscopic neural signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul S Muhle-Karbe
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK; School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2SA, UK; Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2SA, UK.
| | - Hannah Sheahan
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK; Google DeepMind, London EC4A 3TW, UK
| | - Giovanni Pezzulo
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Hugo J Spiers
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Samson Chien
- Max Planck Research Group NeuroCode, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Nicolas W Schuck
- Max Planck Research Group NeuroCode, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Aging Research, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Institute of Psychology, Universität Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christopher Summerfield
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK; Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2SA, UK.
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36
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Mastrogiuseppe M, Gianni E, Lee SA. Does a row of objects comprise a boundary? How children miss the forest for the trees in spatial navigation. Dev Psychol 2023; 59:2397-2407. [PMID: 37824230 DOI: 10.1037/dev0001638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Unlike children's early ability to navigate by continuous boundaries, their ability to extract geometric information from an array of objects emerges gradually over childhood. To investigate children's developing representation of object arrays for navigation and its relation to their mental representation of the global spatial layout, reorientation behavior was tested in 146 children (4-9 years, 78 male children and 68 female children, Italian) with rectangular arrays made up of 20 objects. Posttest questions on children's spatial language and their mental and pictorial representation of the environment were administered. Although children of all ages navigated by the geometry of continuous boundary-like arrays, they only succeeded with separated object arrays at around 7 years of age. This developmental change was predicted by children's individual ability to extract the abstract geometry of the spatial layout in a two-dimensional picture of the room. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sang Ah Lee
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Seoul National University
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37
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Smith SM, Garcia E, Montelongo A, Davidson CG, Bakhtiar D, Lovett SD, Maurer AP, Burke SN. Muscimol inactivation of dorsal striatum in young and aged male rats does not affect paired associates learning performance. Behav Neurosci 2023; 137:356-363. [PMID: 37326524 PMCID: PMC10721732 DOI: 10.1037/bne0000561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Improving cognitive health for older adults requires understanding the neurobiology of age-related cognitive decline and the mechanisms underlying preserved cognition in old age. During spatial learning tasks, aged humans and rodents shift navigation preferences in favor of a stimulus-response learning strategy. This has been hypothesized to result from competitive interactions of the caudate nucleus/dorsal striatum (DS) memory system with the hippocampus (HPC)-dependent spatial/allocentric memory system. In support of this hypothesis, a recent study reported that inactivation of the DS in aged rodents rescued HPC-dependent spatial learning on a T-maze (Gardner, Gold, & Korol, 2020). Currently, it is unclear whether a shift from HPC-dependent to DS-dependent behavior also contributes to age-related cognitive decline outside of spatial learning and memory. To test the hypothesis that inactivation of the DS can restore age-related cognitive function outside of spatial behavior, the present study bilaterally inactivated the DS of young (n = 8) and aged (n = 7) rats during visuospatial paired associates learning (PAL). This study found that inactivation of the DS did not alter PAL performance in young or aged rats, but did alter a positive control, DS-dependent spatial navigation task. This observation suggests that elevated DS activity does not play a role in the decline of HPC-dependent PAL performance in aged male rats. Given the persistent tendencies of aged rodents toward DS-dependent learning, it will be worthwhile to explore further the coordination dynamics between the HPC and DS that may contribute to age-related cognitive decline. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha M. Smith
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience Concentration, University of Florida
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Elena Garcia
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
| | - Anna Montelongo
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
| | - Caroline G. Davidson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
| | - Denna Bakhtiar
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
| | - Sarah D. Lovett
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
| | - Andrew P. Maurer
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Sara N. Burke
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
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38
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Goulard R, Heinze S, Webb B. Emergent spatial goals in an integrative model of the insect central complex. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011480. [PMID: 38109465 PMCID: PMC10760860 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The insect central complex appears to encode and process spatial information through vector manipulation. Here, we draw on recent insights into circuit structure to fuse previous models of sensory-guided navigation, path integration and vector memory. Specifically, we propose that the allocentric encoding of location provided by path integration creates a spatially stable anchor for converging sensory signals that is relevant in multiple behavioural contexts. The allocentric reference frame given by path integration transforms a goal direction into a goal location and we demonstrate through modelling that it can enhance approach of a sensory target in noisy, cluttered environments or with temporally sparse stimuli. We further show the same circuit can improve performance in the more complex navigational task of route following. The model suggests specific functional roles for circuit elements of the central complex that helps explain their high preservation across insect species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Goulard
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Stanley Heinze
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Barbara Webb
- Institute for Perception, Action, and Behaviour, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
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39
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Ashkenazi S, Velner H. The interplay between math performances, spatial abilities, and affective factors: The role of task. Trends Neurosci Educ 2023; 33:100211. [PMID: 38049289 DOI: 10.1016/j.tine.2023.100211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
Many studies have suggested that cognitive and affective abilities (such as math anxiety- MA and math self-efficacy) explain individual differences in math. PURPOSE The present study explores the interplay between MA, math self-efficacy, spatial anxiety and spatial abilities in explaining individual differences on two complex math tasks. PROCEDURES Ninety-three college students took part in the experiment and completed 3 emotional questionnaires, in addition to 2 math tasks and a mental rotation task. FINDINGS The interplay between math performances and cognitive and affective factors is related to task demand. MA and spatial abilities affected math performances directly, regardless of task. Spatial anxiety had only an indirect effect on math performances via MA, regardless of task. CONCLUSIONS These finding suggest that for math performances, contrary to MA, real spatial abilities rather than perceived spatial anxiety play a significant role in explaining individual differences. Hence, the present result dissociates cognitive and emotional factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarit Ashkenazi
- Learning Disabilities, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Seymour Fox School of Education, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Hagar Velner
- Learning Disabilities, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Seymour Fox School of Education, Jerusalem, Israel
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40
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Alexander AS. Spatial navigation: A touch in the dark. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R1195-R1197. [PMID: 37989098 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.10.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
New work reveals whisker landmark coding in the retrosplenial cortex of mice, broadening our understanding of multisensory spatial cognition, contextual processing, and spatial predictive coding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Alexander
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.
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41
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Iggena D, Jeung S, Maier PM, Ploner CJ, Gramann K, Finke C. Multisensory input modulates memory-guided spatial navigation in humans. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1167. [PMID: 37963986 PMCID: PMC10646091 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05522-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Efficient navigation is supported by a cognitive map of space. The hippocampus plays a key role for this map by linking multimodal sensory information with spatial memory representations. However, in human navigation studies, the full range of sensory information is often unavailable due to the stationarity of experimental setups. We investigated the contribution of multisensory information to memory-guided spatial navigation by presenting a virtual version of the Morris water maze on a screen and in an immersive mobile virtual reality setup. Patients with hippocampal lesions and matched controls navigated to memorized object locations in relation to surrounding landmarks. Our results show that availability of multisensory input improves memory-guided spatial navigation in both groups. It has distinct effects on navigational behaviour, with greater improvement in spatial memory performance in patients. We conclude that congruent multisensory information shifts computations to extrahippocampal areas that support spatial navigation and compensates for spatial navigation deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deetje Iggena
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Neurology, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Unter den Linden 6, 10099, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Sein Jeung
- Technische Universität Berlin, Department of Biological Psychology and Neuroergonomics, Fasanenstraße 1, 10623, Berlin, Germany
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Olav Kyrres gate 9,7030, Trondheim, Norway
- Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Patrizia M Maier
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Neurology, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Unter den Linden 6, 10099, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christoph J Ploner
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Neurology, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany
| | - Klaus Gramann
- Technische Universität Berlin, Department of Biological Psychology and Neuroergonomics, Fasanenstraße 1, 10623, Berlin, Germany
- University of California, San Diego, Center for Advanced Neurological Engineering, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Carsten Finke
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Neurology, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Unter den Linden 6, 10099, Berlin, Germany
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42
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Müller MM, Scherer J, Unterbrink P, Bertrand OJN, Egelhaaf M, Boeddeker N. The Virtual Navigation Toolbox: Providing tools for virtual navigation experiments. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0293536. [PMID: 37943845 PMCID: PMC10635524 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Spatial navigation research in humans increasingly relies on experiments using virtual reality (VR) tools, which allow for the creation of highly flexible, and immersive study environments, that can react to participant interaction in real time. Despite the popularity of VR, tools simplifying the creation and data management of such experiments are rare and often restricted to a specific scope-limiting usability and comparability. To overcome those limitations, we introduce the Virtual Navigation Toolbox (VNT), a collection of interchangeable and independent tools for the development of spatial navigation VR experiments using the popular Unity game engine. The VNT's features are packaged in loosely coupled and reusable modules, facilitating convenient implementation of diverse experimental designs. Here, we depict how the VNT fulfils feature requirements of different VR environments and experiments, guiding through the implementation and execution of a showcase study using the toolbox. The presented showcase study reveals that homing performance in a classic triangle completion task is invariant to translation velocity of the participant's avatar, but highly sensitive to the number of landmarks. The VNT is freely available under a creative commons license, and we invite researchers to contribute, extending and improving tools using the provided repository.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin M. Müller
- Department of Neurobiology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, NRW, Germany
| | - Jonas Scherer
- Department of Neurobiology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, NRW, Germany
| | - Patrick Unterbrink
- Department of Neurobiology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, NRW, Germany
| | | | - Martin Egelhaaf
- Department of Neurobiology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, NRW, Germany
| | - Norbert Boeddeker
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, NRW, Germany
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43
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Coulter ME, Kemere C. The neural basis of mental navigation in rats. Science 2023; 382:517-518. [PMID: 37917674 DOI: 10.1126/science.adl0806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
A brain-machine interface demonstrates volitional control of hippocampal activity.
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44
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Lai C, Tanaka S, Harris TD, Lee AK. Volitional activation of remote place representations with a hippocampal brain-machine interface. Science 2023; 382:566-573. [PMID: 37917713 PMCID: PMC10683874 DOI: 10.1126/science.adh5206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
The hippocampus is critical for recollecting and imagining experiences. This is believed to involve voluntarily drawing from hippocampal memory representations of people, events, and places, including maplike representations of familiar environments. However, whether representations in such "cognitive maps" can be volitionally accessed is unknown. We developed a brain-machine interface to test whether rats can do so by controlling their hippocampal activity in a flexible, goal-directed, and model-based manner. We found that rats can efficiently navigate or direct objects to arbitrary goal locations within a virtual reality arena solely by activating and sustaining appropriate hippocampal representations of remote places. This provides insight into the mechanisms underlying episodic memory recall, mental simulation and planning, and imagination and opens up possibilities for high-level neural prosthetics that use hippocampal representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chongxi Lai
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, Virginia, USA
| | - Shinsuke Tanaka
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, Virginia, USA
| | - Timothy D. Harris
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, Virginia, USA
| | - Albert K. Lee
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, Virginia, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
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45
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Agharazi H, Wang A, Guha A, Gupta P, Shaikh AG. Unraveling the Twist: Spatial Navigational Challenges in Cervical Dystonia. Mov Disord 2023; 38:2116-2121. [PMID: 37914913 DOI: 10.1002/mds.29612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cervical dystonia (CD) is an intricate neurological condition with motor and nonmotor symptoms. These include disruptions in visual perception, self-orientation, visual working memory, and vestibular functions. However, the specific impact of CD on perceiving self-motion direction, especially with isolated visual or vestibular stimuli, remains largely unexplored. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine the effects of CD on linear motion perception, hypothesizing impaired heading discrimination in both vestibular and visual tasks, and that such deficits correlate with the disease severity. METHODS We employed a cutting-edge motion platform to precisely control whole-body linear motion. Through repeated two-alternative forced-choice tasks, we assessed vestibular heading direction discrimination. Participants observed dynamic star clouds in immersive virtual reality and indicated their perceived self-motion direction, evaluating visual heading direction discrimination. Sensitivity to direction variations and response accuracy errors were analyzed using robust Gaussian cumulative distribution psychometric functions. RESULTS Heading perception is impaired in individuals with CD, particularly evident in vestibular heading discrimination. CD severity correlated with elevated thresholds for both vestibular and visual heading discrimination. Surprisingly, lateralized CD did not introduce bias in either system, suggesting widespread disruption over localized effects. CONCLUSIONS Contrary to previous beliefs, our findings challenge the idea that CD-related heading discrimination issues mainly arise from peripheral vestibular effects. Instead, abnormal proprioceptive input from dystonic neck muscles introduces noise into the central mechanism integrating visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive signals. These insights into spatial navigation deficits have implications for future CD research. © 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanieh Agharazi
- National VA Parkinson Consortium Center, Neurology Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Alexander Wang
- Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Movement Disorders Center, Neurological Institute, University Hospitals, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Aratrik Guha
- National VA Parkinson Consortium Center, Neurology Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Palak Gupta
- National VA Parkinson Consortium Center, Neurology Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Aasef G Shaikh
- National VA Parkinson Consortium Center, Neurology Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Movement Disorders Center, Neurological Institute, University Hospitals, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
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46
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Paez K, Blaser RE. Target number influences strategy use by rats (Rattus norvegicus) in the traveling salesperson problem. J Comp Psychol 2023; 137:238-248. [PMID: 38108798 DOI: 10.1037/com0000358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
The traveling salesman problem (TSP) is an optimization problem in which the goal is to find the shortest possible route that passes through each of a set of points in space. The TSP is of interest not only in the fields of mathematics, computer science, and engineering, but also in cognitive and behavioral research to study problem-solving and spatial navigation. Humans are able to complete even complex TSPs with a high degree of efficiency, and distance minimization in TSP analogs has been observed in a variety of nonhuman species as well. Tasks based on the TSP also have the potential for translational research on cognitive and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. The current experiment was designed to examine the effects of target number on TSP performance in rats. After pretraining, rats were tested once on each of several target configurations, and their travel routes were recorded. We examined the routes for general efficiency, as well as evidence for strategy use including the nearest neighbor (NN) strategy and crossing avoidance. Our results indicate that latency and route length increase in proportion to the number of targets. Rats also showed a strong tendency to avoid path crossing, and to select NN targets, which strengthened with increasing target numbers. Taken together, our results indicate that travel efficiency decreases linearly in relation to the target number rather than the number of possible routes, which grows factorially with a target number. Additionally, spatial memory and route selection strategy are also affected by an increasing number of targets. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn Paez
- University of San Diego, Department of Psychological Sciences
| | - Rachel E Blaser
- University of San Diego, Department of Psychological Sciences
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47
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Bozgeyikli LL, Bozgeyikli E, Schnell C, Clark J. Exploring Horizontally Flipped Interaction in Virtual Reality for Improving Spatial Ability. IEEE Trans Vis Comput Graph 2023; 29:4514-4524. [PMID: 37831578 DOI: 10.1109/tvcg.2023.3320241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
Virtual reality (VR) is a high-fidelity medium that can offer experiences that are close to real-life. Spatial ability plays an important role in human life, including academic achievement and advancement in work settings. Spatial ability is known to be improved by practicing relevant tasks. Mental rotation and spatial perception are among such tasks that improve spatial skills. In this research, we investigated a "mirror-reversed" interaction technique in a cup stacking task in VR and looked into its effects on spatial ability, brain activity regarding spatial processing and attention (measured with EEG), performance, and user experience in male participants. Participants stacked cups according to given patterns using direct manipulation with horizontally flipped controls, similar to looking in a mirror while performing object manipulation in real life. In a between-subjects user study, we compared this novel interaction with a baseline where the participants completed the same task with regular controls. Although there was no significant main effect of group on the mental rotation and perspective taking/spatial orientation tests scores, within-group analysis indicated a trend toward an improvement in the mirror-reversed group in spatial orientation, while both groups showed a trend toward improvement in mental rotation. Participants in both groups got better at the task over time (their task completion durations decreased). EEG data revealed significant theta band power increase in the mirror-reversed group whereas there was no difference in the alpha band power between the two groups. Our results are encouraging for exploring spatially challenging interactions in VR for spatial skills training. We share the implementation and user study results, and discuss the implications.
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48
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Zhang F, Zhang C, Pu Y, Kong XZ. Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain. J Vis Exp 2023. [PMID: 37902363 DOI: 10.3791/65150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Spatial navigation is a complex function involving the integration and manipulation of multisensory information. Using different navigation tasks, many promising results have been achieved on the specific functions of various brain regions (e.g., hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and parahippocampal place area). Recently, it has been suggested that a non-aggregate network process involving multiple interacting brain regions may better characterize the neural basis of this complex function. This paper presents an integrative approach for constructing and analyzing the functionally-specific network for spatial navigation in the human brain. Briefly, this integrative approach consists of three major steps: 1) to identify brain regions important for spatial navigation (nodes definition); 2) to estimate functional connectivity between each pair of these regions and construct the connectivity matrix (network construction); 3) to investigate the topological properties (e.g., modularity and small worldness) of the resulting network (network analysis). The presented approach, from a network perspective, could help us better understand how our brain supports flexible navigation in complex and dynamic environments, and the revealed topological properties of the network can also provide important biomarkers for guiding early identification and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengxiang Zhang
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University
| | - Chenghui Zhang
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University
| | - Yi Pu
- Department of Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics
| | - Xiang-Zhen Kong
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University; Department of Psychiatry of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine;
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49
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Pawlak-Jakubowska A, Terczyńska E. Evaluation of STEM students' spatial abilities based on a novel net cube imagination test. Sci Rep 2023; 13:17296. [PMID: 37828029 PMCID: PMC10570322 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44371-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the level of spatial ability among STEM students. A universal multiple-choice test was prepared. The validity of the test and the effectiveness of its application were tested. The test is an extension of those currently in use. It contains tasks on spatial perception, spatial visualization, mental folding, rotation of spatial elements, and representation of spatial elements on a plane. The test consists of 16 tasks showing a cube with lines located on the walls. The student's task was to determine the development of the cube and mentally construct a cube based on the development. The results of the test determined the level of progress of the group (105 participants), and showed that a significant number of students have difficulties in perceiving and working with a three-dimensional object. On average 55% of the questions were answered correctly. For the group tested, reading a flat drawing and determining axonometry proved easier than other task. Students who attended technical high school or had design experience scored better. During the course, measures to improve teaching were introduced. Spatial model work was strengthened and initial tasks were adjusted according to the level of the group. Emphasis on teamwork and consultation was introduced for those with the lowest scores. The applied modifications in classroom management had a good effect. The average of the final grade was B. The test is a useful tool for academics and students to study spatial ability and improve teaching activities for STEM students.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ewa Terczyńska
- Faculty of Civil Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100, Gliwice, Poland
- Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Applied Arts, The University of Technology in Katowice, 40-555, Katowice, Poland
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50
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Fernandez-Velasco P, Coutrot A, Oloye H, Wiener JM, Dalton RC, Holscher C, Manley E, Hornberger M, Spiers HJ. No link between handedness and spatial navigation: evidence from over 400 000 participants in 41 countries. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231514. [PMID: 37817602 PMCID: PMC10565369 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
There is an active debate concerning the association of handedness and spatial ability. Past studies used small sample sizes. Determining the effect of handedness on spatial ability requires a large, cross-cultural sample of participants and a navigation task with real-world validity. Here, we overcome these challenges via the mobile app Sea Hero Quest. We analysed the navigation performance from 422 772 participants from 41 countries and found no reliable evidence for any difference in spatial ability between left- and right-handers across all countries. A small but growing gap in performance appears for participants over 64 years old, with left-handers outperforming right-handers. Further analysis, however, suggests that this gap is most likely due to selection bias. Overall, our study clarifies the factors associated with spatial ability and shows that left-handedness is not associated with either a benefit or a deficit in spatial ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- P. Fernandez-Velasco
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Philosophy, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Department of Philosophy, University of York, York, UK
| | - A. Coutrot
- LIRIS, CNRS, University of Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - H. Oloye
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
- Centre of Medical Imaging Computing, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - J. M. Wiener
- Department of Psychology, Ageing and Dementia Research Centre, Bournemouth University, Poole, UK
| | - R. C. Dalton
- Department of Architecture and Built Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - C. Holscher
- ETH Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - E. Manley
- Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College London, London, UK
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - M. Hornberger
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - H. J. Spiers
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
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