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Khosla A, Moscovitch M, Ryan JD. Spatial updating of gaze position in younger and older adults - A path integration-like process in eye movements. Cognition 2024; 250:105835. [PMID: 38875941 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2024.105835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
Path integration (PI) is a navigation process that allows an organism to update its current location in reference to a starting point. PI can involve updating self-position continuously with respect to the starting point (continuous updating) or creating a map representation of the route which is then used to compute the homing vector (configural updating). One of the brain areas involved in PI, the entorhinal cortex, is modulated similarly by whole-body and eye movements, suggesting that if PI updates self-position, an analogous process may be used to update gaze position, and may undergo age-related changes. Here, we created an eyetracking version of a PI task in which younger and older participants followed routes with their eyes as guided by visual onsets; at the end of each route, participants were cued to return to the starting point or another enroute location. When only memory for the starting location was required for successful task performance, younger and older adults were generally not influenced by the number of locations, indicative of continuous updating. However, when participants could be cued to any enroute location, thereby requiring memory for the entire route, processing times increased, accuracy decreased, and overt revisits to enroute locations increased with the number of locations in a route, indicative of configural updating. Older participants showed evidence for similar updating strategies as younger participants, but they were less accurate and made more overt revisits to mid-route locations. These findings suggest that spatial updating mechanisms are generalizable across effector systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anisha Khosla
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Morris Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jennifer D Ryan
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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2
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Mar KD, So C, Hou Y, Kim JC. Age dependent path integration deficit in 5xFAD mice. Behav Brain Res 2024; 463:114919. [PMID: 38408521 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.114919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a severe neurodegenerative disorder and the most common form of dementia in elderly individuals, characterized by memory deficits, cognitive decline, and neuropathology. The identification of preclinical markers for AD remains elusive. We employed an ultrasound-evoked spatial memory assay to investigate path integration (PI) in wild type C57BL/6 J and 5xFAD mice. We observed significant recruitment of the mammillary bodies (MB) and subiculum (Sub) - core regions of the Papez circuit during PI, as indicated by increased expression of the immediate early gene c-Fos in C57BL/6 J mice. In 5xFAD mice, amyloid-beta (Aβ) vulnerability in the MB and Sub was evident at 3-months of age, preceding widespread pathology at 5-months of age. In parallel, we detected significant behavioral deficits in PI in the 5XFAD mice at 5- but not 3-months of age. Sex based analysis revealed a more profound deficit in males compared to females at 5-months of age. Our data suggest PI may be as an early indicator of AD, potentially associated with dysfunction within the Papez circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendall D Mar
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St. George Street, Sidney Smith Hall, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3, Canada.
| | - Chanbee So
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G5, Canada.
| | - Yixin Hou
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G5, Canada.
| | - Jun Chul Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St. George Street, Sidney Smith Hall, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3, Canada; Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G5, Canada.
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3
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Newton C, Pope M, Rua C, Henson R, Ji Z, Burgess N, Rodgers CT, Stangl M, Dounavi M, Castegnaro A, Koychev I, Malhotra P, Wolbers T, Ritchie K, Ritchie CW, O'Brien J, Su L, Chan D. Entorhinal-based path integration selectively predicts midlife risk of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimers Dement 2024; 20:2779-2793. [PMID: 38421123 PMCID: PMC11032581 DOI: 10.1002/alz.13733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Entorhinal cortex (EC) is the first cortical region to exhibit neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD), associated with EC grid cell dysfunction. Given the role of grid cells in path integration (PI)-based spatial behaviors, we predicted that PI impairment would represent the first behavioral change in adults at risk of AD. METHODS We compared immersive virtual reality (VR) PI ability to other cognitive domains in 100 asymptomatic midlife adults stratified by hereditary and physiological AD risk factors. In some participants, behavioral data were compared to 7T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of brain structure and function. RESULTS Midlife PI impairments predicted both hereditary and physiological AD risk, with no corresponding multi-risk impairment in episodic memory or other spatial behaviors. Impairments associated with altered functional MRI signal in the posterior-medial EC. DISCUSSION Altered PI may represent the transition point from at-risk state to disease manifestation in AD, prior to impairment in other cognitive domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coco Newton
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Marianna Pope
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation TrustCambridgeUK
| | - Catarina Rua
- Wolfson Brain Imaging CentreUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Richard Henson
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Zilong Ji
- Institute of Cognitive NeuroscienceUCLLondonUK
| | | | | | - Matthias Stangl
- Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human BehaviorUniversity of CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringBoston UniversityBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | | | | | - Ivan Koychev
- Department of PsychiatryWarneford HospitalOxford UniversityOxfordUK
| | | | - Thomas Wolbers
- German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)MagdeburgGermany
| | | | - Craig W. Ritchie
- Centre for Dementia PreventionWestern General HospitalUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - John O'Brien
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation TrustCambridgeUK
| | - Li Su
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- Sheffield Institute for Translational NeuroscienceUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Dennis Chan
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- Institute of Cognitive NeuroscienceUCLLondonUK
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4
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Puthusseryppady V, Cossio D, Chrastil ER. Spatial memory and hippocampal remapping: Who will age well? Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2319952121. [PMID: 38190546 PMCID: PMC10801915 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2319952121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniela Cossio
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA92697
| | - Elizabeth R. Chrastil
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA92697
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Najafian Jazi M, Tymorek A, Yen TY, Jose Kavarayil F, Stingl M, Chau SR, Baskurt B, García Vilela C, Allen K. Hippocampal firing fields anchored to a moving object predict homing direction during path-integration-based behavior. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7373. [PMID: 37968268 PMCID: PMC10651862 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42642-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Homing based on path integration (H-PI) is a form of navigation in which an animal uses self-motion cues to keep track of its position and return to a starting point. Despite evidence for a role of the hippocampus in homing behavior, the hippocampal spatial representations associated with H-PI are largely unknown. Here we developed a homing task (AutoPI task) that required a mouse to find a randomly placed lever on an arena before returning to its home base. Recordings from the CA1 area in male mice showed that hippocampal neurons remap between random foraging and AutoPI task, between trials in light and dark conditions, and between search and homing behavior. During the AutoPI task, approximately 25% of the firing fields were anchored to the lever position. The activity of 24% of the cells with a lever-anchored field predicted the homing direction of the animal on each trial. Our results demonstrate that the activity of hippocampal neurons with object-anchored firing fields predicts homing behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Najafian Jazi
- Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Adrian Tymorek
- Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ting-Yun Yen
- Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Felix Jose Kavarayil
- Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Moritz Stingl
- Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sherman Richard Chau
- Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Benay Baskurt
- Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Celia García Vilela
- Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kevin Allen
- Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.
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Castegnaro A, Ji Z, Rudzka K, Chan D, Burgess N. Overestimation in angular path integration precedes Alzheimer's dementia. Curr Biol 2023; 33:4650-4661.e7. [PMID: 37827151 PMCID: PMC10957396 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.09.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Path integration (PI) is impaired early in Alzheimer's disease (AD) but reflects multiple sub-processes that may be differentially sensitive to AD. To characterize these sub-processes, we developed a novel generative linear-angular model of PI (GLAMPI) to fit the inbound paths of healthy elderly participants performing triangle completion, a popular PI task, in immersive virtual reality with real movement. The model fits seven parameters reflecting the encoding, calculation, and production errors associated with inaccuracies in PI. We compared these parameters across younger and older participants and patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), including those with (MCI+) and without (MCI-) cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of AD neuropathology. MCI patients showed overestimation of the angular turn in the outbound path and more variable inbound distances and directions compared with healthy elderly. MCI+ were best distinguished from MCI- patients by overestimation of outbound turns and more variable inbound directions. Our results suggest that overestimation of turning underlies the PI errors seen in patients with early AD, indicating specific neural pathways and diagnostic behaviors for further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Castegnaro
- UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, 17 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AZ, UK; UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Zilong Ji
- UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, 17 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AZ, UK; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Katarzyna Rudzka
- UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, 17 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AZ, UK
| | - Dennis Chan
- UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, 17 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AZ, UK
| | - Neil Burgess
- UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, 17 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AZ, UK; UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
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7
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Song Q, Zhou X, Xu K, Liu S, Zhu X, Yang J. The Safety and Antiaging Effects of Nicotinamide Mononucleotide in Human Clinical Trials: an Update. Adv Nutr 2023; 14:1416-1435. [PMID: 37619764 PMCID: PMC10721522 DOI: 10.1016/j.advnut.2023.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The importance of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) in human physiology is well recognized. As the NAD+ concentration in human skin, blood, liver, muscle, and brain are thought to decrease with age, finding ways to increase NAD+ status could possibly influence the aging process and associated metabolic sequelae. Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) is a precursor for NAD+ biosynthesis, and in vitro/in vivo studies have demonstrated that NMN supplementation increases NAD+ concentration and could mitigate aging-related disorders such as oxidative stress, DNA damage, neurodegeneration, and inflammatory responses. The promotion of NMN as an antiaging health supplement has gained popularity due to such findings; however, since most studies evaluating the effects of NMN have been conducted in cell or animal models, a concern remains regarding the safety and physiological effects of NMN supplementation in the human population. Nonetheless, a dozen human clinical trials with NMN supplementation are currently underway. This review summarizes the current progress of these trials and NMN/NAD+ biology to clarify the potential effects of NMN supplementation and to shed light on future study directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qin Song
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Hangzhou Normal University School of Public Health, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaofeng Zhou
- Department of Radiotherapy, The 2(nd) Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Kexin Xu
- Department of Nutritional and Toxicological Science, Hangzhou Normal University School of Public Health, Hangzhou, China
| | - Sishi Liu
- Department of Nutritional and Toxicological Science, Hangzhou Normal University School of Public Health, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xinqiang Zhu
- Core Facility, The 4(th) Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu, China.
| | - Jun Yang
- Department of Nutritional and Toxicological Science, Hangzhou Normal University School of Public Health, Hangzhou, China; Zhejiang Provincial Center for Uterine Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy Research, The Affiliated Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
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8
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Coughlan G, DeSouza B, Zhukovsky P, Hornberger M, Grady C, Buckley RF. Spatial cognition is associated with levels of phosphorylated-tau and β-amyloid in clinically normal older adults. Neurobiol Aging 2023; 130:124-134. [PMID: 37506550 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2023.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Spatial cognition is associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers in the symptomatic stages of the disease. We investigated whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers (phosphorylated-tau [p-tau] and β-amyloid) are associated with poorer spatial cognition in clinically normal older adults. Participants were 1875 clinically normal adults (age 67.8 [8.5] years) from the European Prevention of Alzheimer's Dementia Consortium. Mixed effect models assessed the cross-sectional association between p-tau181, β-amyloid1-42 (Aβ1-42) and p-tau181/Aβ1-42 ratio and spatial cognition measured using semi-automated Supermarket Task and the 4 Mountains Task. Levels of p-tau181, Aβ1-42, and p-tau181/Aβ1-42 ratio were significantly associated with spatial cognition scores on both tasks. The p-tau181/Aβ1-42 ratio showed the largest effect sizes (β = -0.04/0.05, p < 0.001). Lower entorhinal cortical volume was associated with poorer outcomes on both tasks (β = 0.06, p < 0.002) and accounted for 18%-22% of the direct association between p-tau181 and spatial cognition scores. In conclusion, degeneration of the entorhinal cortex mediates a significant proportion of the association between p-tau181 and spatial assessments in cognitively normal adults. Future studies should focus on increasing the sensitivity of digital spatial assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gillian Coughlan
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brennan DeSouza
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Peter Zhukovsky
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Mental Health and Addiction, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael Hornberger
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Cheryl Grady
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rachel F Buckley
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
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9
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Ying J, Reboreda A, Yoshida M, Brandon MP. Grid cell disruption in a mouse model of early Alzheimer's disease reflects reduced integration of self-motion cues. Curr Biol 2023:S0960-9822(23)00547-X. [PMID: 37220744 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.04.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Converging evidence from human and rodent studies suggests that disrupted grid cell coding in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) underlies path integration behavioral deficits during early Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, grid cell firing relies on both self-motion cues and environmental features, and it remains unclear whether disrupted grid coding can account for specific path integration deficits reported during early AD. Here, we report in the J20 transgenic amyloid beta (Aβ) mouse model of early AD that grid cells were spatially unstable toward the center of the arena, had qualitatively different spatial components that aligned parallel to the borders of the environment, and exhibited impaired integration of distance traveled via reduced theta phase precession. Our results suggest that disrupted early AD grid coding reflects reduced integration of self-motion cues but not environmental information via geometric boundaries, providing evidence that grid cell impairments underlie path integration deficits during early AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johnson Ying
- Department of Psychiatry, Douglas Hospital Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada; Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada
| | - Antonio Reboreda
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg 39120, Germany; Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN), Magdeburg 39120, Germany
| | - Motoharu Yoshida
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg 39120, Germany; Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN), Magdeburg 39120, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Magdeburg 39106, Germany
| | - Mark P Brandon
- Department of Psychiatry, Douglas Hospital Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada; Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada.
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10
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Hill PF. When landmarks are not enough. eLife 2023; 12:87771. [PMID: 37083558 PMCID: PMC10121216 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Including geometric spatial cues in an environment can help reverse the difficulties with spatial navigation experienced by children and older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul F Hill
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, United States
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11
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Newton C, Pope M, Rua C, Henson R, Ji Z, Burgess N, Rodgers CT, Stangl M, Dounavi ME, Castegnaro A, Koychev I, Malhotra P, Wolbers T, Ritchie K, Ritchie CW, O’Brien J, Su L, Chan D. Path integration selectively predicts midlife risk of Alzheimer's disease. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.31.526473. [PMID: 36778428 PMCID: PMC9915680 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.31.526473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The entorhinal cortex (EC) is the first cortical region to exhibit neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD), associated with EC grid cell dysfunction. Given the role of grid cells in path integration, we predicted that path integration impairment would represent the first behavioural change in adults at-risk of AD. Using immersive virtual reality, we found that midlife path integration impairments predicted both hereditary and physiological AD risk, with no corresponding impairment on tests of episodic memory or other spatial behaviours. Impairments related to poorer angular estimation and were associated with hexadirectional grid-like fMRI signal in the posterior-medial EC. These results indicate that altered path integration may represent the transition point from at-risk state to disease onset in AD, prior to impairment in other cognitive domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coco Newton
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge; Cambridge, UK
| | - Marianna Pope
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge; Cambridge, UK
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust; Cambridge, UK
| | - Catarina Rua
- Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, University of Cambridge; Cambridge, UK
| | - Richard Henson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge; Cambridge, UK
| | - Zilong Ji
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL; London, UK
| | - Neil Burgess
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL; London, UK
| | | | - Matthias Stangl
- Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California; Los Angeles, USA
| | | | | | - Ivan Koychev
- Department of Psychiatry, Oxford University; Oxford, UK
| | - Paresh Malhotra
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London; London, UK
| | - Thomas Wolbers
- German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE); Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Karen Ritchie
- Inserm, Institut de Neurosciences; Montpellier, France
| | - Craig W. Ritchie
- Centre for Dementia Prevention, University of Edinburgh; Edinburgh, UK
| | - John O’Brien
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge; Cambridge, UK
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust; Cambridge, UK
| | - Li Su
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge; Cambridge, UK
| | - Dennis Chan
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL; London, UK
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Chepisheva MK. Spatial orientation, postural control and the vestibular system in healthy elderly and Alzheimer's dementia. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15040. [PMID: 37151287 PMCID: PMC10162042 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background While extensive research has been advancing our understanding of the spatial and postural decline in healthy elderly (HE) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), much less is known about how the vestibular system contributes to the spatial and postural processing in these two populations. This is especially relevant during turning movements in the dark, such as while walking in our garden or at home at night, where the vestibular signal becomes central. As the prevention of falls and disorientation are of serious concern for the medical service, more vestibular-driven knowledge is necessary to decrease the burden for HE and AD patients with vestibular disabilities. Overview of the article The review briefly presents the current "non-vestibular based" knowledge (i.e. knowledge based on research that does not mention the "vestibular system" as a contributor or does not investigate its effects) about spatial navigation and postural control during normal healthy ageing and AD pathology. Then, it concentrates on the critical sense of the vestibular system and explores the current expertise about the aspects of spatial orientation and postural control from a vestibular system point of view. The norm is set by first looking at how healthy elderly change with age with respect to their vestibular-guided navigation and balance, followed by the AD patients and the difficulties they experience in maintaining their balance or during navigation. Conclusion Vestibular spatial and vestibular postural deficits present a considerable disadvantage and are felt not only on a physical but also on a psychological level by all those affected. Still, there is a clear need for more (central) vestibular-driven spatial and postural knowledge in healthy and pathological ageing, which can better facilitate our understanding of the aetiology of these dysfunctions. A possible change can start with the more frequent implementation of the "vestibular system examination/rehabilitation/therapy" in the clinic, which can then lead to an improvement of future prognostication and disease outcome for the patients.
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Fragueiro A, Tosoni A, Di Matteo R, Committeri G. Empowering episodic memory through a model-based egocentric navigational training. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2022:10.1007/s00426-022-01777-6. [PMID: 36478126 PMCID: PMC10366265 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-022-01777-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
AbstractRecent works have proposed that spatial mechanisms in the hippocampal–entorhinal system might have originally developed to represent distances and positions in the physical space and successively evolved to represent experience and memory in the mental space (Bellmund et al. 2018; Bottini and Doeller 2020). Within this phylogenetic continuity hypothesis (Buzsáki and Moser 2013), mechanisms supporting episodic and semantic memory would have evolved from egocentric and allocentric spatial navigation mechanisms, respectively. Recent studies have described a specific relationship between human performance in egocentric navigation and episodic memory (Committeri et al. 2020; Fragueiro et al. 2021), representing the first behavioral support to this hypothesis. Here, we tested the causal relationship among egocentric navigation and both episodic and semantic components of declarative memory. We conducted two experiments on healthy young adults: in the first experiment, participants were submitted to a navigational training based on path integration, while in the second experiment, participants completed a control training based on visual–perceptual learning. Performance in a set of memory tasks assessing episodic, semantic and short-term memory was compared among the pre- vs. post-training sessions. The results indicated a significant improvement of the episodic memory but not of the semantic or the short-term memory performance following the navigational training. In addition, no modulations of performance across the three memory tasks were observed following the control perceptual training. Our findings provide brand-new evidence of a potential causal association between mechanisms of egocentric navigation and episodic memory, thereby further supporting the phylogenetic continuity hypothesis between navigation and memory mechanisms as well as offering new insights about possible clinical applications of navigational trainings for memory functions/dysfunctions.
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Ramanoël S, Durteste M, Delaux A, de Saint Aubert JB, Arleo A. Future trends in brain aging research: Visuo-cognitive functions at stake during mobility and spatial navigation. AGING BRAIN 2022; 2:100034. [PMID: 36908887 PMCID: PMC9997160 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbas.2022.100034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging leads to a complex pattern of structural and functional changes, gradually affecting sensorimotor, perceptual, and cognitive processes. These multiscale changes can hinder older adults' interaction with their environment, progressively reducing their autonomy in performing tasks relevant to everyday life. Autonomy loss can further be aggravated by the onset and progression of neurodegenerative disorders (e.g., age-related macular degeneration at the sensory input level; and Alzheimer's disease at the cognitive level). In this context, spatial cognition offers a representative case of high-level brain function that involves multimodal sensory processing, postural control, locomotion, spatial orientation, and wayfinding capabilities. Hence, studying spatial behavior and its neural bases can help identify early markers of pathogenic age-related processes. Until now, the neural correlates of spatial cognition have mostly been studied in static conditions thereby disregarding perceptual (other than visual) and motor aspects of natural navigation. In this review, we first demonstrate how visuo-motor integration and the allocation of cognitive resources during locomotion lie at the heart of real-world spatial navigation. Second, we present how technological advances such as immersive virtual reality and mobile neuroimaging solutions can enable researchers to explore the interplay between perception and action. Finally, we argue that the future of brain aging research in spatial navigation demands a widespread shift toward the use of naturalistic, ecologically valid experimental paradigms to address the challenges of mobility and autonomy decline across the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Ramanoël
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, 17 rue Moreau, F-75012 Paris, France.,Université Côte d'Azur, LAMHESS, Nice, France
| | - Marion Durteste
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, 17 rue Moreau, F-75012 Paris, France
| | - Alexandre Delaux
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, 17 rue Moreau, F-75012 Paris, France
| | | | - Angelo Arleo
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, 17 rue Moreau, F-75012 Paris, France
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