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Sulpizio V, Teghil A, Pitzalis S, Boccia M. Common and specific activations supporting optic flow processing and navigation as revealed by a meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies. Brain Struct Funct 2024; 229:1021-1045. [PMID: 38592557 PMCID: PMC11147901 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-024-02790-8] [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: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Optic flow provides useful information in service of spatial navigation. However, whether brain networks supporting these two functions overlap is still unclear. Here we used Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) to assess the correspondence between brain correlates of optic flow processing and spatial navigation and their specific neural activations. Since computational and connectivity evidence suggests that visual input from optic flow provides information mainly during egocentric navigation, we further tested the correspondence between brain correlates of optic flow processing and that of both egocentric and allocentric navigation. Optic flow processing shared activation with egocentric (but not allocentric) navigation in the anterior precuneus, suggesting its role in providing information about self-motion, as derived from the analysis of optic flow, in service of egocentric navigation. We further documented that optic flow perception and navigation are partially segregated into two functional and anatomical networks, i.e., the dorsal and the ventromedial networks. Present results point to a dynamic interplay between the dorsal and ventral visual pathways aimed at coordinating visually guided navigation in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Sulpizio
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
- Department of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy
| | - Alice Teghil
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
- Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy
| | - Sabrina Pitzalis
- Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome ''Foro Italico'', Rome, Italy
| | - Maddalena Boccia
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
- Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy.
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2
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Fragueiro A, Cury C, Santacroce F, Burles F, Iaria G, Committeri G. Medial positioning of the hippocampus and hippocampal fissure volume in developmental topographical disorientation. Hippocampus 2024; 34:204-216. [PMID: 38214182 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23599] [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: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
Developmental topographical disorientation (DTD) refers to the lifelong inability to orient by means of cognitive maps in familiar surroundings despite otherwise well-preserved general cognitive functions, and the absence of any acquired brain injury or neurological condition. While reduced functional connectivity between the hippocampus and other brain regions has been reported in DTD individuals, no structural differences in gray matter tissue for the whole brain neither for the hippocampus were detected. Considering that the human hippocampus is the main structure associated with cognitive map-based navigation, here, we investigated differences in morphological and morphometric hippocampal features between individuals affected by DTD (N = 20) and healthy controls (N = 238). Specifically, we focused on a developmental anomaly of the hippocampus that is characterized by the incomplete infolding of hippocampal subfields during fetal development, giving the hippocampus a more round or pyramidal shape, called incomplete hippocampal inversion (IHI). We rated IHI according to standard criteria and extracted hippocampal subfield volumes after FreeSurfer's automatic segmentation. We observed similar IHI prevalence in the group of individuals with DTD with respect to the control population. Neither differences in whole hippocampal nor major hippocampal subfield volumes have been observed between groups. However, when assessing the IHI independent criteria, we observed that the hippocampus in the DTD group is more medially positioned comparing to the control group. In addition, we observed bigger hippocampal fissure volume for the DTD comparing to the control group. Both of these findings were stronger for the right hippocampus comparing to the left. Our results provide new insights regarding the hippocampal morphology of individuals affected by DTD, highlighting the role of structural anomalies during early prenatal development in line with the developmental nature of the spatial disorientation deficit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustina Fragueiro
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, Inria, Inserm, IRISA UMR 6074, Empenn-ERL U 1228, Rennes, France
| | - Claire Cury
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, Inria, Inserm, IRISA UMR 6074, Empenn-ERL U 1228, Rennes, France
| | - Federica Santacroce
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, and ITAB, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Ford Burles
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Giuseppe Iaria
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Giorgia Committeri
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, and ITAB, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
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Tyborowska A, Wegman J, Janzen G. Bilingual Spatial Cognition: Spatial Cue Use in Bilinguals and Monolinguals. Brain Sci 2024; 14:134. [PMID: 38391709 PMCID: PMC10887090 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14020134] [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: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Structural plasticity changes and functional differences in executive control tasks have been reported in bilinguals compared to monolinguals, supporting a proposed bilingual 'advantage' in executive control functions (e.g., task switching) due to continual usage of control mechanisms that inhibit one of the coexisting languages. However, it remains unknown whether these differences are also apparent in the spatial domain. The present fMRI study explores the use of spatial cues in 15 bilinguals and 14 monolinguals while navigating in an open-field virtual environment. In each trial, participants had to navigate towards a target object that was visible during encoding but hidden in retrieval. An extensive network was activated in bilinguals compared to monolinguals in the encoding and retrieval phase. During encoding, bilinguals activated the right temporal and left parietal regions (object trials) and left inferior frontal, precentral, and lingual regions more than monolinguals. During retrieval, the same contrasts activated the left caudate nucleus and the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the left parahippocampal gyrus, as well as caudate regions. These results suggest that bilinguals may recruit neural networks known to subserve not only executive control processes but also spatial strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Tyborowska
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6500 HD Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Joost Wegman
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6500 HD Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Gabriele Janzen
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6500 HD Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Moraresku S, Hammer J, Janca R, Jezdik P, Kalina A, Marusic P, Vlcek K. Timing of Allocentric and Egocentric Spatial Processing in Human Intracranial EEG. Brain Topogr 2023; 36:870-889. [PMID: 37474691 PMCID: PMC10522529 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-023-00989-2] [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: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Spatial reference frames (RFs) play a key role in spatial cognition, especially in perception, spatial memory, and navigation. There are two main types of RFs: egocentric (self-centered) and allocentric (object-centered). Although many fMRI studies examined the neural correlates of egocentric and allocentric RFs, they could not sample the fast temporal dynamics of the underlying cognitive processes. Therefore, the interaction and timing between these two RFs remain unclear. Taking advantage of the high temporal resolution of intracranial EEG (iEEG), we aimed to determine the timing of egocentric and allocentric information processing and describe the brain areas involved. We recorded iEEG and analyzed broad gamma activity (50-150 Hz) in 37 epilepsy patients performing a spatial judgment task in a three-dimensional circular virtual arena. We found overlapping activation for egocentric and allocentric RFs in many brain regions, with several additional egocentric- and allocentric-selective areas. In contrast to the egocentric responses, the allocentric responses peaked later than the control ones in frontal regions with overlapping selectivity. Also, across several egocentric or allocentric selective areas, the egocentric selectivity appeared earlier than the allocentric one. We identified the maximum number of egocentric-selective channels in the medial occipito-temporal region and allocentric-selective channels around the intraparietal sulcus in the parietal cortex. Our findings favor the hypothesis that egocentric spatial coding is a more primary process, and allocentric representations may be derived from egocentric ones. They also broaden the dominant view of the dorsal and ventral streams supporting egocentric and allocentric space coding, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofiia Moraresku
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Memory, Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 142 20, Prague, Czechia.
- Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czechia.
| | - Jiri Hammer
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czechia
| | - Radek Janca
- Department of Circuit Theory, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Prague, Czechia
| | - Petr Jezdik
- Department of Circuit Theory, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Prague, Czechia
| | - Adam Kalina
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czechia
| | - Petr Marusic
- Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czechia
| | - Kamil Vlcek
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Memory, Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska 1083, 142 20, Prague, Czechia.
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Martín-Pozuelo N, Robles-García V, Piccardi L, Quintela del Rio A, Cudeiro J, De las Cuevas-Terán I. Adaptations of the Walking Corsi Test (WalCT) for 2- and 3-year-old preterm and term-born toddlers: A preliminary study. Front Pediatr 2023; 11:1081042. [PMID: 37009286 PMCID: PMC10064058 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2023.1081042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Topographical memory is crucial for navigation and environmental representation. The Walking Corsi Test (WalCT) has been used to evaluate topographical memory in children from 4 years upward. The present study aims to determine whether adapted versions of the WalCT- by simplifying instructions and increasing motivation- can be adopted to test topographical memory in 2- and 3-year-old toddlers born at term and preterm. Assessing this skill in such young children is important in light of recent studies that have shown how spatial cognition underlies the development of skills in other cognitive domains as well. Methods: For this purpose, 47 toddlers (27.39 ± 4.34 months, 38.3% females), 20 born at term and 27 preterm, performed two aimed-designed versions of WalCT. Results The results showed better performance of the term groups with increasing age and for both versions. On the other hand, performance was better in 2-year-old term toddlers vs. preterm. When rising motivation, 2-year-old preterm toddlers improve their performance but differences between both groups were still significant. The preterm group showed lower performance related to lower levels of attention. Discussion This study provides preliminary data on the suitability of the adapted versions of WalCT in early ages and prematurity conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuria Martín-Pozuelo
- Neuroscience and Motor Control Group, Department of Physical Therapy, Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Biomedical Institute of A Coruña (INIBIC), Universidade da Coruña, A Coruña, Spain
- Escuelas Universitarias Gimbernat, University of Cantabria, Torrelavega, Spain
| | - Verónica Robles-García
- Neuroscience and Motor Control Group, Department of Physical Therapy, Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Biomedical Institute of A Coruña (INIBIC), Universidade da Coruña, A Coruña, Spain
- Correspondence: Verónica Robles-García
| | - Laura Piccardi
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- San Raffaele Cassino Hospital, Cassino, Italy
| | | | - Javier Cudeiro
- Neuroscience and Motor Control Group, Department of Physical Therapy, Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Biomedical Institute of A Coruña (INIBIC), Universidade da Coruña, A Coruña, Spain
| | - Isabel De las Cuevas-Terán
- Neonatal Unit, Pediatric Department, Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, Research Institute Valdecilla (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain
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Kern KL, McMains SA, Storer TW, Moffat SD, Schon K. Cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with fMRI signal in right cerebellum lobule VIIa Crus I and II during spatial navigation in older adult women. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:979741. [PMID: 36506472 PMCID: PMC9727394 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.979741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial navigation is a cognitive skill critical for accomplishing daily goal-directed behavior in a complex environment; however, older adults exhibit marked decline in navigation performance with age. Neuroprotective interventions that enhance the functional integrity of navigation-linked brain regions, such as those in the medial temporal lobe memory system, may preserve spatial navigation performance in older adults. Importantly, a well-established body of literature suggests that cardiorespiratory fitness has measurable effects on neurobiological integrity in the medial temporal lobes, as well as in other brain areas implicated in spatial navigation, such as the precuneus and cerebellum. However, whether cardiorespiratory fitness modulates brain activity in these regions during navigation in older adults remains unknown. Thus, the primary objective of the current study was to examine cardiorespiratory fitness as a modulator of fMRI activity in navigation-linked brain regions in cognitively healthy older adults. To accomplish this objective, cognitively intact participants (N = 22, aged 60-80 years) underwent cardiorespiratory fitness testing to estimate maximal oxygen uptake ( V · O2max) and underwent whole-brain high-resolution fMRI while performing a virtual reality navigation task. Our older adult sample demonstrated significant fMRI signal in the right and left retrosplenial cortex, right precuneus, right and left inferior parietal cortex, right and left cerebellum lobule VIIa Crus I and II, right fusiform gyrus, right parahippocampal cortex, right lingual gyrus, and right hippocampus during encoding of a virtual environment. Most importantly, in women but not men (N = 16), cardiorespiratory fitness was positively associated with fMRI activity in the right cerebellum lobule VIIa Crus I and II, but not other navigation-linked brain areas. These findings suggest that the influence of cardiorespiratory fitness on brain function extends beyond the hippocampus, as observed in other work, to the cerebellum lobule VIIa Crus I and II, a component of the cerebellum that has recently been linked to cognition and more specifically, spatial processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn L. Kern
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University Aram V. Chobanian & Edward Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States,Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States,Center for Memory and Brain, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States,*Correspondence: Kathryn L. Kern,
| | | | - Thomas W. Storer
- Men’s Health, Aging, and Metabolism Unit, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Scott D. Moffat
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Karin Schon
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University Aram V. Chobanian & Edward Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States,Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States,Center for Memory and Brain, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States,Cognitive Neuroimaging Center, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States,Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
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Derbie AY, Dejenie MA, Zegeye TG. Visuospatial representation in patients with mild cognitive impairment: Implication for rehabilitation. Medicine (Baltimore) 2022; 101:e31462. [PMID: 36343037 PMCID: PMC9646670 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000031462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral and neurophysiological experiments have demonstrated that distinct and common cognitive processes and associated neural substrates maintain allocentric and egocentric spatial representations. This review aimed to provide evidence from previous behavioral and neurophysiological studies on collating cognitive processes and associated neural substrates and linking them to the state of visuospatial representations in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Even though MCI patients showed impaired visuospatial attentional processing and working memory, previous neuropsychological experiments in MCI largely emphasized memory impairment and lacked substantiating evidence of whether memory impairment could be associated with how patients with MCI encode objects in space. The present review suggests that impaired memory capacity is linked to impaired allocentric representation in MCI patients. This review indicates that further research is needed to examine how the decline in visuospatial attentional resources during allocentric coding of space could be linked to working memory impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abiot Y. Derbie
- Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
- Department of Psychology, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
- *Correspondence: Abiot Y. Derbie, Department of Psychology, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 79, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia (e-mail: )
| | | | - Tsigie G. Zegeye
- Department of Special Needs, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
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Gregory S, Blennow K, Homer NZM, Ritchie CW, Muniz‐Terrera G. Self-reported diabetes is associated with allocentric spatial processing in the European Prevention of Alzheimer's Dementia Longitudinal Cohort Study. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 56:5917-5930. [PMID: 36103146 PMCID: PMC9828025 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Type 2 diabetes is a robust predictor of cognitive impairment. Impairment in allocentric processing may help identify those at increased risk for Alzheimer's disease dementia. The objective of this study was to investigate the performance of participants with and without diabetes on a task of allocentric spatial processing. This was a cross-sectional secondary data analysis study using baseline data from the European Prevention of Alzheimer's Dementia Longitudinal Cohort Study (EPAD LCS). Participants were aged 50 years and above and were free of dementia at baseline. Participants with no missing data on the variables of interest were included in this study. Our exposure variable was diabetes reported in the medical history. Our primary outcome was the Four Mountains Test (4MT), a novel task of allocentric processing. Covariates included demographics (age, sex, family history of dementia and years of education), APOEε4 carrier status, cognitive status (Clinical Dementia Rating scale), cerebrospinal fluid phosphorylated tau and amyloid-beta 1-42. Of 1324 participants (mean age = 65.95 (±7.45)), 90 had diabetes. Participants with diabetes scored 8.32 (±2.32) on the 4MT compared with 9.24 (±2.60) for participants without diabetes. In a univariate model, diabetes was significantly associated with worse 4MT total scores (β = -.92, p = .001), remaining significant in a fully adjusted model (β = -.64, p = .01). Cerebrospinal fluid phosphorylated tau was significantly higher in participants with diabetes compared with those without. Novel cognitive tests, such as the 4MT, may be appropriate to identify early cognitive changes in this high-risk group. Identifying those at greatest risk for future neurodegeneration is key to prevention efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Gregory
- Edinburgh Dementia Prevention, Centre for Clinical Brain SciencesUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Kaj Blennow
- Institute of Neuroscience and PhysiologyThe Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of GothenburgMölndalSweden,Clinical Neurochemistry LaboratorySahlgrenska University HospitalMölndalSweden
| | - Natalie Z. M. Homer
- Mass Spectrometry Core, Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility, Queen's Medical Research InstituteUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Craig W. Ritchie
- Edinburgh Dementia Prevention, Centre for Clinical Brain SciencesUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Graciela Muniz‐Terrera
- Edinburgh Dementia Prevention, Centre for Clinical Brain SciencesUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK,Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
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Bleau M, Paré S, Chebat DR, Kupers R, Nemargut JP, Ptito M. Neural substrates of spatial processing and navigation in blindness: An activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:1010354. [PMID: 36340755 PMCID: PMC9630591 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.1010354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Even though vision is considered the best suited sensory modality to acquire spatial information, blind individuals can form spatial representations to navigate and orient themselves efficiently in space. Consequently, many studies support the amodality hypothesis of spatial representations since sensory modalities other than vision contribute to the formation of spatial representations, independently of visual experience and imagery. However, given the high variability in abilities and deficits observed in blind populations, a clear consensus about the neural representations of space has yet to be established. To this end, we performed a meta-analysis of the literature on the neural correlates of spatial processing and navigation via sensory modalities other than vision, like touch and audition, in individuals with early and late onset blindness. An activation likelihood estimation (ALE) analysis of the neuroimaging literature revealed that early blind individuals and sighted controls activate the same neural networks in the processing of non-visual spatial information and navigation, including the posterior parietal cortex, frontal eye fields, insula, and the hippocampal complex. Furthermore, blind individuals also recruit primary and associative occipital areas involved in visuo-spatial processing via cross-modal plasticity mechanisms. The scarcity of studies involving late blind individuals did not allow us to establish a clear consensus about the neural substrates of spatial representations in this specific population. In conclusion, the results of our analysis on neuroimaging studies involving early blind individuals support the amodality hypothesis of spatial representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Bleau
- École d’Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Samuel Paré
- École d’Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Daniel-Robert Chebat
- Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory (VCN Lab), Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
- Navigation and Accessibility Research Center of Ariel University (NARCA), Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
| | - Ron Kupers
- École d’Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Institute of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Maurice Ptito
- École d’Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- *Correspondence: Maurice Ptito,
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Piccardi L, Cofini V, Palmiero M, Verde P, Boccia M, Palermo L, Guariglia C, Nori R. Where Am I? Searching for the Tangle in the Developmental Topographical Disorientation. Neurol Int 2022; 14:824-838. [PMID: 36278691 PMCID: PMC9589977 DOI: 10.3390/neurolint14040067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The Developmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD) is a pathological condition that impairs an individual’s ability to orient in space, even in the most familiar environments. It is a lifelong selective condition in individuals without brain damage or without impaired general cognitive functions. Here, we aimed at characterizing 54 individuals with DTD identified in a previous study, aged between 18 and 35 years and assessed through a 4-year-long online survey. To this purpose, we compared them with 54 matched healthy participants. We described the demographics, sense of direction, town knowledge, navigational strategies, left-right confusion as well as agnosic disorders (for landmarks, faces and objects). This novel study attempts to characterize the phenotype of DTD, providing an important contribution to the worldwide definition of a condition that was first described only 13 years ago, but which, considering the growing number of cases complaining of the disorder, deserves continuous and increasing attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Piccardi
- Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- IRCCS San Raffaele, 00163 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-06-49911
| | - Vincenza Cofini
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Science, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Palmiero
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Paola Verde
- ItAF Aerospace Test Division, Aerospace Medicine Department, 00040 Pratica di Mare, Italy
| | - Maddalena Boccia
- Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Rome, Italy
| | - Liana Palermo
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Cecilia Guariglia
- Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Rome, Italy
| | - Raffaella Nori
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
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Park JH. Can the Virtual Reality-Based Spatial Memory Test Better Discriminate Mild Cognitive Impairment than Neuropsychological Assessment? INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:9950. [PMID: 36011585 PMCID: PMC9408476 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19169950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Neuropsychological screening tools for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have been widely used. However, to date, their sensitivity and specificity still remain unsatisfied. This study aims to investigate whether spatial memory can discriminate MCI better than neuropsychological screening tools. A total of 56 healthy older adults and 36 older adults with MCI participated in this study; they performed a spatial cognitive task based on virtual reality (SCT-VR), the Korean version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-K), and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised Block Design Test (WAIS-BDT). The discriminant power was compared between the SCT-VR and the MoCA-K, and the reliability and validity of the SCT-VR were analyzed. The spatial memory, assessed by the SCT-VR, showed better sensitivity and specificity (sensitivity: 0.944; specificity: 0.964) than the MoCA-K (sensitivity: 0.857; specificity: 0.746). The test-retest reliability of the SCT-VR was relatively high (ICCs: 0.982, p < 0.001) and the concurrent validity of the SCT-VR with the MoCA-K (r = −0.587, p < 0.001) and the WAIS-BDT (r = −0.594, p < 0.001) was statistically significant. These findings shed light on the importance of spatial memory as a behavioral marker of MCI. The ecologically validated spatial memory tasks based on VR need to be investigated by neuroscientific studies in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Hyuck Park
- Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Medical Science, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Korea
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12
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Three cortical scene systems and their development. Trends Cogn Sci 2022; 26:117-127. [PMID: 34857468 PMCID: PMC8770598 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Since the discovery of three scene-selective regions in the human brain, a central assumption has been that all three regions directly support navigation. We propose instead that cortical scene processing regions support three distinct computational goals (and one not for navigation at all): (i) The parahippocampal place area supports scene categorization, which involves recognizing the kind of place we are in; (ii) the occipital place area supports visually guided navigation, which involves finding our way through the immediately visible environment, avoiding boundaries and obstacles; and (iii) the retrosplenial complex supports map-based navigation, which involves finding our way from a specific place to some distant, out-of-sight place. We further hypothesize that these systems develop along different timelines, with both navigation systems developing slower than the scene categorization system.
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13
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Effects of virtual reality-based spatial cognitive training on hippocampal function of older adults with mild cognitive impairment. Int Psychogeriatr 2022; 34:157-163. [PMID: 32616109 DOI: 10.1017/s1041610220001131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To date, there is a controversy on effects of cognitive intervention to maintain or improve hippocampal function for older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). OBJECTIVE The main objective of this study was to exam effects of virtual reality-based spatial cognitive training (VR-SCT) using VR on hippocampal function of older adults with MCI. METHOD Fifty-six older adults with MCI were randomly allocated to the experimental group (EG) that received the VR-SCT or the waitlist control group (CG) for a total of 24 sessions. To investigate effects of the VR-SCT on spatial cognition and episodic memory, the Weschsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised Block Design Test (WAIS-BDT) and the Seoul Verbal Learning Test (SVLT) were used. RESULTS During the sessions, the training performances gradually increased (p < .001). After the intervention, the EG showed significant greater improvements in the WAIS-BDT (p < .001, η2 = .667) and recall of the SVLT (p < .05, η2 =.094) compared to the CG but in recognition of the SVLT (p > .05, η2 =.001). CONCLUSION These results suggest that the VR-SCT might be clinically beneficial to enhance spatial cognition and episodic memory of older adults with MCI.
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14
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Kim JS. Posterior Cerebral Artery Disease. Stroke 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-323-69424-7.00025-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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15
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Chen H, Naya Y. Reunification of Object and View-Center Background Information in the Primate Medial Temporal Lobe. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:756801. [PMID: 34938164 PMCID: PMC8685287 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.756801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent work has shown that the medial temporal lobe (MTL), including the hippocampus (HPC) and its surrounding limbic cortices, plays a role in scene perception in addition to episodic memory. The two basic factors of scene perception are the object (“what”) and location (“where”). In this review, we first summarize the anatomical knowledge related to visual inputs to the MTL and physiological studies examining object-related information processed along the ventral pathway briefly. Thereafter, we discuss the space-related information, the processing of which was unclear, presumably because of its multiple aspects and a lack of appropriate task paradigm in contrast to object-related information. Based on recent electrophysiological studies using non-human primates and the existing literature, we proposed the “reunification theory,” which explains brain mechanisms which construct object-location signals at each gaze. In this reunification theory, the ventral pathway signals a large-scale background image of the retina at each gaze position. This view-center background signal reflects the first person’s perspective and specifies the allocentric location in the environment by similarity matching between images. The spatially invariant object signal and view-center background signal, both of which are derived from the same retinal image, are integrated again (i.e., reunification) along the ventral pathway-MTL stream, particularly in the perirhinal cortex. The conjunctive signal, which represents a particular object at a particular location, may play a role in scene perception in the HPC as a key constituent element of an entire scene.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Chen
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuji Naya
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavioral and Mental Health, Faculty of Science, College of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
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16
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Motanis H, Khorasani LN, Giza CC, Harris NG. Peering into the Brain through the Retrosplenial Cortex to Assess Cognitive Function of the Injured Brain. Neurotrauma Rep 2021; 2:564-580. [PMID: 34901949 PMCID: PMC8655812 DOI: 10.1089/neur.2021.0044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The retrosplenial cortex (RSC) is a posterior cortical area that has been drawing increasing interest in recent years, with a growing number of studies studying its contribution to cognitive and sensory functions. From an anatomical perspective, it has been established that the RSC is extensively and often reciprocally connected with the hippocampus, neocortex, and many midbrain regions. Functionally, the RSC is an important hub of the default-mode network. This endowment, with vast anatomical and functional connections, positions the RSC to play an important role in episodic memory, spatial and contextual learning, sensory-cognitive activities, and multi-modal sensory information processing and integration. Additionally, RSC dysfunction has been reported in cases of cognitive decline, particularly in Alzheimer's disease and stroke. We review the literature to examine whether the RSC can act as a cortical marker of persistent cognitive dysfunction after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Because the RSC is easily accessible at the brain's surface using in vivo techniques, we argue that studying RSC network activity post-TBI can shed light into the mechanisms of less-accessible brain regions, such as the hippocampus. There is a fundamental gap in the TBI field about the microscale alterations occurring post-trauma, and by studying the RSC's neuronal activity at the cellular level we will be able to design better therapeutic tools. Understanding how neuronal activity and interactions produce normal and abnormal activity in the injured brain is crucial to understanding cognitive dysfunction. By using this approach, we expect to gain valuable insights to better understand brain disorders like TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Motanis
- UCLA Brain Injury Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, Geffen Medical School, UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Laila N. Khorasani
- UCLA Brain Injury Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, Geffen Medical School, UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Christopher C. Giza
- UCLA Brain Injury Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, Geffen Medical School, UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Neil G. Harris
- UCLA Brain Injury Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, Geffen Medical School, UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Intellectual Development and Disabilities Research Center, UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- *Address correspondence to: Neil G. Harris, PhD, Department of Neurosurgery, University of California at Los Angeles, Wasserman Building, 300 Stein Plaza, Room 551, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA;
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17
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Sodoma MJ, Cole RC, Sloan TJ, Hamilton CM, Kent JD, Magnotta VA, Voss MW. Hippocampal acidity and volume are differentially associated with spatial navigation in older adults. Neuroimage 2021; 245:118682. [PMID: 34728245 PMCID: PMC8867536 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The hippocampus is negatively affected by aging and is critical for spatial navigation. While there is evidence that wayfinding navigation tasks are especially sensitive to preclinical hippocampal deterioration, these studies have primarily used volumetric hippocampal imaging without considering microstructural properties or anatomical variation within the hippocampus. T1ρ is an MRI measure sensitive to regional pH, with longer relaxation rates reflecting acidosis as a marker of metabolic dysfunction and neuropathological burden. For the first time, we investigate how measures of wayfinding including landmark location learning and delayed memory in cognitively normal older adults (N = 84) relate to both hippocampal volume and T1ρ in the anterior and posterior hippocampus. Regression analyses revealed hippocampal volume was bilaterally related to learning, while right lateralized T1ρ was related to delayed landmark location memory and bilateral T1ρ was related to the delayed use of a cognitive map. Overall, results suggest hippocampal volume and T1ρ relaxation rate tap into distinct mechanisms involved in preclinical cognitive decline as assessed by wayfinding navigation, and laterality influenced these relationships more than the anterior-posterior longitudinal axis of the hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Sodoma
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
| | - Rachel C Cole
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Taylor J Sloan
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Chase M Hamilton
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - James D Kent
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712 USA
| | - Vincent A Magnotta
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Department of Radiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, UCA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Pappajohn Biomedical Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Michelle W Voss
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
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18
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Barclay SF, Potocki K, Burles F, Bech-Hansen NT, Iaria G. Evaluation of APOE ɛ2/ɛ3/ɛ4 Alleles in a Cohort of Individuals Affected by Developmental Topographical Disorientation. J Alzheimers Dis Rep 2021; 5:565-570. [PMID: 34514340 PMCID: PMC8385428 DOI: 10.3233/adr-210304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The three common alleles of the APOE gene, ɛ2/ɛ3/ɛ4, have been linked to human spatial orientation. We investigated the genetic role of APOE in developmental topographical disorientation (DTD), a lifelong condition that results in topographical disorientation. We genotyped the APOE ɛ2/ɛ3/ɛ4 alleles in a cohort of 20 unrelated DTD probands, and found allele frequencies not statistically different from the those seen in the population as a whole. Therefore, we found no evidence that DTD occurs preferentially on a genetic background containing any particular APOE allele, making it unlikely that these APOE alleles are contributing to the development of DTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah F Barclay
- Department of Medical Genetics and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Kendra Potocki
- Neurolab, Department of Psychology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ford Burles
- Neurolab, Department of Psychology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - N Torben Bech-Hansen
- Department of Medical Genetics and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Giuseppe Iaria
- Neurolab, Department of Psychology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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19
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Suzuki S, Kamps FS, Dilks DD, Treadway MT. Two scene navigation systems dissociated by deliberate versus automatic processing. Cortex 2021; 140:199-209. [PMID: 33992908 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.03.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Successfully navigating the world requires avoiding boundaries and obstacles in one's immediately-visible environment, as well as finding one's way to distant places in the broader environment. Recent neuroimaging studies suggest that these two navigational processes involve distinct cortical scene processing systems, with the occipital place area (OPA) supporting navigation through the local visual environment, and the retrosplenial complex (RSC) supporting navigation through the broader spatial environment. Here we hypothesized that these systems are distinguished not only by the scene information they represent (i.e., the local visual versus broader spatial environment), but also based on the automaticity of the process they involve, with navigation through the broader environment (including RSC) operating deliberately, and navigation through the local visual environment (including OPA) operating automatically. We tested this hypothesis using fMRI and a maze-navigation paradigm, where participants navigated two maze structures (complex or simple, testing representation of the broader spatial environment) under two conditions (active or passive, testing deliberate versus automatic processing). Consistent with the hypothesis that RSC supports deliberate navigation through the broader environment, RSC responded significantly more to complex than simple mazes during active, but not passive navigation. By contrast, consistent with the hypothesis that OPA supports automatic navigation through the local visual environment, OPA responded strongly even during passive navigation, and did not differentiate between active versus passive conditions. Taken together, these findings suggest the novel hypothesis that navigation through the broader spatial environment is deliberate, whereas navigation through the local visual environment is automatic, shedding new light on the dissociable functions of these systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shosuke Suzuki
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Frederik S Kamps
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States; Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Daniel D Dilks
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Michael T Treadway
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.
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20
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Liu B, Tian Q, Gu Y. Robust vestibular self-motion signals in macaque posterior cingulate region. eLife 2021; 10:e64569. [PMID: 33827753 PMCID: PMC8032402 DOI: 10.7554/elife.64569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Self-motion signals, distributed ubiquitously across parietal-temporal lobes, propagate to limbic hippocampal system for vector-based navigation via hubs including posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and retrosplenial cortex (RSC). Although numerous studies have indicated posterior cingulate areas are involved in spatial tasks, it is unclear how their neurons represent self-motion signals. Providing translation and rotation stimuli to macaques on a 6-degree-of-freedom motion platform, we discovered robust vestibular responses in PCC. A combined three-dimensional spatiotemporal model captured data well and revealed multiple temporal components including velocity, acceleration, jerk, and position. Compared to PCC, RSC contained moderate vestibular temporal modulations and lacked significant spatial tuning. Visual self-motion signals were much weaker in both regions compared to the vestibular signals. We conclude that macaque posterior cingulate region carries vestibular-dominant self-motion signals with plentiful temporal components that could be useful for path integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingyu Liu
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of SciencesShanghaiChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Qingyang Tian
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of SciencesShanghaiChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Yong Gu
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of SciencesShanghaiChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
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21
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van der Kuil MNA, Visser-Meily JMA, Evers AWM, van der Ham IJM. Navigation ability in patients with acquired brain injury: A population-wide online study. Neuropsychol Rehabil 2021; 32:1405-1428. [PMID: 33715586 DOI: 10.1080/09602011.2021.1893192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The ability to travel independently is a vital part of an autonomous life. It is important to investigate to what degree people with acquired brain injuries (ABI) suffer from navigation impairments. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of objective and subjective navigation impairments in the population of ABI patients. A large-scale online navigation study was conducted with 435 ABI patients and 7474 healthy controls. Participants studied a route through a virtual environment and completed 5 navigation tasks that assessed distinct functional components of navigation ability. Subjective navigation abilities were assessed using the Wayfinding questionnaire. Patients were matched to controls using propensity score matching. Overall, performance on objective navigation tasks was significantly lower in the ABI population compared to the healthy controls. The landmark recognition, route continuation and allocentric location knowledge tasks were most vulnerable to brain injury. The prevalence of subjective navigation impairments was higher in the ABI population compared to the healthy controls. In conclusion, a substantial proportion (39.1%) of the ABI population reports navigation impairments. We advocate the evaluation of objective and subjective navigation ability in neuropsychological assessments of ABI patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- M N A van der Kuil
- Department of Health, Medical and Neuropsychology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - J M A Visser-Meily
- Center of Excellence for Rehabilitation Medicine, Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht and De Hoogstraat Rehabilitation, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Department of Rehabilitation, Physical Therapy Science & Sports, Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - A W M Evers
- Department of Health, Medical and Neuropsychology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands.,Medical Delta, Leiden University, TU Delft and Erasmus University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - I J M van der Ham
- Department of Health, Medical and Neuropsychology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
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22
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Baumann O, Mattingley JB. Extrahippocampal contributions to spatial navigation in humans: A review of the neuroimaging evidence. Hippocampus 2021; 31:640-657. [DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Baumann
- School of Psychology Bond University Robina Queensland Australia
| | - Jason B. Mattingley
- Queensland Brain Institute The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
- School of Psychology The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) Toronto Ontario Canada
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23
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Zajac L, Killiany R. Activity Strength within Optic Flow-Sensitive Cortical Regions Is Associated with Visual Path Integration Accuracy in Aged Adults. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11020245. [PMID: 33669177 PMCID: PMC7919670 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11020245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial navigation is a cognitive skill fundamental to successful interaction with our environment, and aging is associated with weaknesses in this skill. Identifying mechanisms underlying individual differences in navigation ability in aged adults is important to understanding these age-related weaknesses. One understudied factor involved in spatial navigation is self-motion perception. Important to self-motion perception is optic flow–the global pattern of visual motion experienced while moving through our environment. A set of optic flow-sensitive (OF-sensitive) cortical regions was defined in a group of young (n = 29) and aged (n = 22) adults. Brain activity was measured in this set of OF-sensitive regions and control regions using functional magnetic resonance imaging while participants performed visual path integration (VPI) and turn counting (TC) tasks. Aged adults had stronger activity in RMT+ during both tasks compared to young adults. Stronger activity in the OF-sensitive regions LMT+ and RpVIP during VPI, not TC, was associated with greater VPI accuracy in aged adults. The activity strength in these two OF-sensitive regions measured during VPI explained 42% of the variance in VPI task performance in aged adults. The results of this study provide novel support for global motion processing as a mechanism underlying visual path integration in normal aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Zajac
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street (L 1004), Boston, MA 02118, USA;
- Center for Biomedical Imaging, Boston University School of Medicine, 650 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Ronald Killiany
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street (L 1004), Boston, MA 02118, USA;
- Center for Biomedical Imaging, Boston University School of Medicine, 650 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
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24
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Derbie AY, Chau B, Lam B, Fang YH, Ting KH, Wong CYH, Tao J, Chen LD, Chan CCH. Cortical Hemodynamic Response Associated with Spatial Coding: A Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study. Brain Topogr 2021; 34:207-220. [PMID: 33484379 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-021-00821-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Allocentric and egocentric are two types of spatial coding. Previous studies reported the dorsal attention network's involvement in both types. To eliminate possible paradigm-specific confounds in the results, this study employed fine-grained cue-to-target paradigm to dissociate allocentric (aSC) and egocentric (eSC) spatial coding. Twenty-two participants completed a custom visuospatial task, and changes in the concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin (O2-Hb) were recorded using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator-regularized principal component (LASSO-RPC) algorithm was used to identify cortical sites that predicted the aSC and eSC conditions' reaction times. Significant changes in O2-Hb concentration in the right inferior parietal lobule (IPL) and post-central gyrus regions were common in both aSC and eSC. Results of inter-channel correlations further substantiate cortical activities in both conditions were predominantly over the right parieto-frontal areas. Together with right superior frontal gyrus areas be the reaction time neural correlates, the results suggest top-down attention and response-mapping processes are common to both spatial coding types. Changes unique to aSC were in clusters over the right intraparietal sulcus, right temporo-parietal junction, and left IPL. With the left pre-central gyrus region, be the reaction time neural correlate, aSC is likely to involve more orienting attention, updating of spatial information, and object-based response selection and inhibition than eSC. Future studies will use other visuospatial task designs for testing the robustness of the findings on spatial coding processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abiot Y Derbie
- Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Psychology, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
| | - Bolton Chau
- Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Bess Lam
- Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yun-Hua Fang
- College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China
| | - Kin-Hung Ting
- University Research Facility in Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Clive Y H Wong
- Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jing Tao
- College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China
| | - Li-Dian Chen
- College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China
| | - Chetwyn C H Chan
- Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
- University Research Facility in Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
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25
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Iaria G, Slone E. The relationship between mental and physical space and its impact on topographical disorientation. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2021; 178:195-211. [PMID: 33832677 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-821377-3.00009-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
We generate mental representations of space to facilitate our ability to remember things and navigate our environment. Many studies implicitly assume that these representations simply reflect the environments that they represent without considering other factors that influence the extent to which this is the case. Here, we bring together findings from cognitive psychology, environmental psychology, geography, urban planning, and neuroscience to discuss how internalizing the environment involves a complex interplay between bottom-up and top-down mental processes and depends on key characteristics of the physical environment itself. We describe how mental space is structured, the ways in which mental and physical space converge and diverge, and the disparate but complementary techniques used to assess these relationships. Finally, we contextualize this knowledge in the clinical populations affected by acquired and developmental topographical disorientation, exploring mechanisms that cause these patients to get lost in familiar surroundings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Iaria
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
| | - Edward Slone
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
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26
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Faulmann I, Descloux V, Saj A, Maurer R. Neuroanatomic Correlates of Distance and Direction Processing During Cognitive Map Retrieval. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:130. [PMID: 33192354 PMCID: PMC7476633 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Navigating toward a goal and mentally comparing distances and directions to landmarks are processes requiring reading information off the memorized representation of the environment, that is, the cognitive map. Brain structures in the medial temporal lobe, in particular, are known to be involved in the learning, storage, and retrieval of cognitive map information, which is generally assumed to be in allocentric form, whereby pure spatial relations (i.e., distance and direction) connect locations with each other. The authors recorded functional magnetic resonance imaging activity, while participants were submitted to a variant of a neuropsychological test (the Cognitive Map Reading Test; CMRT) originally developed to evaluate the performance of brain-lesioned patients and in which participants have to compare distances and directions in their mental map of their hometown. Our main results indicated posterior parahippocampal, but not hippocampal, activity, consistent with a task involving spatial memory of places learned a long time ago; left parietal and left frontal activity, consistent with the distributed processing of navigational representations; and, unexpectedly, cerebellar activity, possibly related to the role of the cerebellum in the processing of (here, imaginary) self-motion cues. In addition, direction, but not distance, comparisons elicited significant activation in the posterior parahippocampal gyrus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Faulmann
- Frontiers Media SA, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Ecole Doctorale en Neurosciences Lémaniques, Université de Lausanne, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Virginie Descloux
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Fribourg Cantonal Hospital, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Arnaud Saj
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Département de Psychologie, Faculté des Arts et des Sciences, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,CRIR/Institut Nazareth et Louis-Braille du CISSS de la Montérégie-Centre, Longueuil, QC, Canada
| | - Roland Maurer
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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27
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Moraresku S, Vlcek K. The use of egocentric and allocentric reference frames in static and dynamic conditions in humans. Physiol Res 2020; 69:787-801. [PMID: 32901499 DOI: 10.33549/physiolres.934528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The dissociation between egocentric and allocentric reference frames is well established. Spatial coding relative to oneself has been associated with a brain network distinct from spatial coding using a cognitive map independently of the actual position. These differences were, however, revealed by a variety of tasks from both static conditions, using a series of images, and dynamic conditions, using movements through space. We aimed to clarify how these paradigms correspond to each other concerning the neural correlates of the use of egocentric and allocentric reference frames. We review here studies of allocentric and egocentric judgments used in static two- and three-dimensional tasks and compare their results with the findings from spatial navigation studies. We argue that neural correlates of allocentric coding in static conditions but using complex three-dimensional scenes and involving spatial memory of participants resemble those in spatial navigation studies, while allocentric representations in two-dimensional tasks are connected with other perceptual and attentional processes. In contrast, the brain networks associated with the egocentric reference frame in static two-dimensional and three-dimensional tasks and spatial navigation tasks are, with some limitations, more similar. Our review demonstrates the heterogeneity of experimental designs focused on spatial reference frames. At the same time, it indicates similarities in brain activation during reference frame use despite this heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Moraresku
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Memory, Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic. ,
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28
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Krohn S, Tromp J, Quinque EM, Belger J, Klotzsche F, Rekers S, Chojecki P, de Mooij J, Akbal M, McCall C, Villringer A, Gaebler M, Finke C, Thöne-Otto A. Multidimensional Evaluation of Virtual Reality Paradigms in Clinical Neuropsychology: Application of the VR-Check Framework. J Med Internet Res 2020; 22:e16724. [PMID: 32338614 PMCID: PMC7215516 DOI: 10.2196/16724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Virtual reality (VR) represents a key technology of the 21st century, attracting substantial interest from a wide range of scientific disciplines. With regard to clinical neuropsychology, a multitude of new VR applications are being developed to overcome the limitations of classical paradigms. Consequently, researchers increasingly face the challenge of systematically evaluating the characteristics and quality of VR applications to design the optimal paradigm for their specific research question and study population. However, the multifaceted character of contemporary VR is not adequately captured by the traditional quality criteria (ie, objectivity, reliability, validity), highlighting the need for an extended paradigm evaluation framework. To address this gap, we propose a multidimensional evaluation framework for VR applications in clinical neuropsychology, summarized as an easy-to-use checklist (VR-Check). This framework rests on 10 main evaluation dimensions encompassing cognitive domain specificity, ecological relevance, technical feasibility, user feasibility, user motivation, task adaptability, performance quantification, immersive capacities, training feasibility, and predictable pitfalls. We show how VR-Check enables systematic and comparative paradigm optimization by illustrating its application in an exemplary research project on the assessment of spatial cognition and executive functions with immersive VR. This application furthermore demonstrates how the framework allows researchers to identify across-domain trade-offs, makes deliberate design decisions explicit, and optimizes the allocation of study resources. Complementing recent approaches to standardize clinical VR studies, the VR-Check framework enables systematic and project-specific paradigm optimization for behavioral and cognitive research in neuropsychology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Krohn
- Department of Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johanne Tromp
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Eva M Quinque
- Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Julia Belger
- Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Felix Klotzsche
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sophia Rekers
- Department of Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Paul Chojecki
- Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jeroen de Mooij
- Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mert Akbal
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saar, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Cade McCall
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Arno Villringer
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Michael Gaebler
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Carsten Finke
- Department of Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Angelika Thöne-Otto
- Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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29
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Blanchette CA, Kurdi V, Fouquet C, Schachar R, Boivin M, Hastings P, Robaey P, West GL, Bohbot VD. Opposing effects of cortisol on learning and memory in children using spatial versus response-dependent navigation strategies. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 169:107172. [PMID: 31978550 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies showed that healthy young adults who spontaneously use caudate nucleus-dependent strategies on a virtual navigation task, have significantly lower basal levels of cortisol compared with adults who use hippocampus-dependent spatial navigation strategies. In the current paper, we assessed the relation between basal cortisol levels and learning using a virtual navigation task in children. We show that basal cortisol level has a differential effect on learning and memory between children using spatial and response navigation strategies. Specifically, cortisol was found to be beneficial for learning performance in children using spatial strategies, such that higher levels of cortisol were associated with more efficient learning in a virtual maze. In contrast, cortisol had a deleterious effect on learning the virtual maze in children using response strategies, such that higher cortisol levels were associated with increased spatial working memory errors. Based on these results, individual differences in navigation strategy could help explain contradictory results in the literature showing that cortisol can have either a positive or negative association with learning and memory performance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vanessa Kurdi
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Verdun, QC, Canada
| | - Celine Fouquet
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Verdun, QC, Canada
| | | | - Michel Boivin
- Dept. of Psychology, Laval University, Quebec, QC, Canada
| | - Paul Hastings
- Centre for Mind and Brain, University of California Davis, CA, United States
| | - Philippe Robaey
- Dept. of Psychiatry, Ste-Justine Res. Ctr., Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Greg L West
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Veronique D Bohbot
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Verdun, QC, Canada.
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30
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Julian JB, Keinath AT, Marchette SA, Epstein RA. The Neurocognitive Basis of Spatial Reorientation. Curr Biol 2019; 28:R1059-R1073. [PMID: 30205055 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.04.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The ability to recover one's bearings when lost is a skill that is fundamental for spatial navigation. We review the cognitive and neural mechanisms that underlie this ability, with the aim of linking together previously disparate findings from animal behavior, human psychology, electrophysiology, and cognitive neuroscience. Behavioral work suggests that reorientation involves two key abilities: first, the recovery of a spatial reference frame (a cognitive map) that is appropriate to the current environment; and second, the determination of one's heading and location relative to that reference frame. Electrophysiological recording studies, primarily in rodents, have revealed potential correlates of these operations in place, grid, border/boundary, and head-direction cells in the hippocampal formation. Cognitive neuroscience studies, primarily in humans, suggest that the perceptual inputs necessary for these operations are processed by neocortical regions such as the retrosplenial complex, occipital place area and parahippocampal place area, with the retrosplenial complex mediating spatial transformations between the local environment and the recovered spatial reference frame, the occipital place area supporting perception of local boundaries, and the parahippocampal place area processing visual information that is essential for identification of the local spatial context. By combining results across these various literatures, we converge on a unified account of reorientation that bridges the cognitive and neural domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua B Julian
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Psychology, 3710 Hamilton Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Centre for Neural Computation, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
| | - Alexandra T Keinath
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Psychology, 3710 Hamilton Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; McGill University, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, 6875 Boulevard LaSalle, Verdun, QC, Canada
| | - Steven A Marchette
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Psychology, 3710 Hamilton Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Russell A Epstein
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Psychology, 3710 Hamilton Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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31
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Oishi Y, Yamakawa T, Nagasawa H, Suzuki K. Pure topographical disorientation in novel environments without anterograde amnesia: a case study. Neurocase 2019; 25:177-186. [PMID: 31298073 DOI: 10.1080/13554794.2019.1642359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Topographical disorientation (TD) in novel environments is considered to be a part of anterograde amnesia. A 56-year-old woman presented with pure TD only in novel environments following limbic encephalitis. She could not remember directions inside the hospital on weekly outpatient visits; however, her verbal and visual anterograde memories were normal. In the test of learning photographs of scenes, faces, and objects, only her scores for landscapes were worse than those in healthy controls. These findings suggested that her TD specific to landscapes and directions in novel environments was caused by category-specific memory impairment related to bilateral hippocampal and parahippocampal dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuka Oishi
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Yamagata University Graduate School of Medicine , Yamagata , Japan.,Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare , Niigata , Japan
| | - Tatsushi Yamakawa
- Department of Neurology, Yamagata Prefectural Central Hospital , Yamagata , Japan
| | - Hikaru Nagasawa
- Department of Neurology, Yamagata Prefectural Central Hospital , Yamagata , Japan
| | - Kyoko Suzuki
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Yamagata University Graduate School of Medicine , Yamagata , Japan.,Department of Behavioral Neurology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine , Sendai , Japan
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32
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Boccia M, Bonavita A, Diana S, Di Vita A, Ciurli MP, Guariglia C. Topographical Disorientation: Clinical and Theoretical Significance of Long-Lasting Improvements Following Imagery-Based Training. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:322. [PMID: 31616267 PMCID: PMC6764239 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropsychological studies on acquired topographical disorientation have provided useful insights into the contribution of different brain regions to human navigation. However, little is known about the possibility to restore navigational skills after brain damage. Here we describe the case of No Longer Lost (NLL), a 49-year-old man who complained of severe topographical disorientation following traumatic brain injury. Extensive neuropsychological evaluation at baseline revealed selective episodic memory deficits and topographical disorientation. NLL underwent 8-week imagery-based treatment (IBT) inspired by current cognitive models of human spatial navigation. After IBT, NLL improved topographical skills and episodic memory. From a clinical point of view, the present study describes a model-based intervention for topographical disorientation. From a theoretical point of view, it provides new insights into the cognitive models of human spatial navigation and straightforward evidence about common phylogenetic roots of brain mechanisms devoted to spatial navigation and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maddalena Boccia
- Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessia Bonavita
- Department of Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Sofia Diana
- Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.,Department of Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Department of Human Neuroscience, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Di Vita
- Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.,Department of Human Neuroscience, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Cecilia Guariglia
- Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.,Department of Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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33
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Ritchie K, Carrière I, Howett D, Su L, Hornberger M, O'Brien JT, Ritchie CW, Chan D. Allocentric and Egocentric Spatial Processing in Middle-Aged Adults at High Risk of Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease: The PREVENT Dementia Study. J Alzheimers Dis 2019; 65:885-896. [PMID: 30103333 DOI: 10.3233/jad-180432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Impairments in spatial processing due to hippocampal degeneration have been observed in the years immediately preceding the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia. The demonstration of changes in spatial processing in preceding decades would provide a cognitive marker for pre-clinical AD and an outcome measure for early intervention trials. The present study examined allocentric and egocentric spatial processing in relation to future dementia risk in a middle-aged cohort. The CAIDE Dementia Risk Score (DRS) was calculated for 188 persons aged 40 to 59, of whom 94 had a parent with dementia. Participants underwent the Four Mountains Test (4MT) of allocentric spatial processing, the Virtual Reality Supermarket Trolley Task (VRSTT) of egocentric spatial processing, and 3T MRI scans. A significant negative association was found between the DRS and 4MT (Spearman correlation - 0.26, p = 0.0006), but not with the VRSTT. The 4MT was also found to be a better predictor of risk than tests of episodic memory, verbal fluency, or executive functioning. The results suggest that allocentric rather than egocentric processing may be a potential indicator of risk for late-onset AD, consistent with the hypothesis that the earliest cognitive changes in AD are driven by tau-related degeneration in the medial temporal lobe rather than amyloid-only deposition in the medial parietal lobe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Ritchie
- INSERM, University of Montpellier, Neuropsychiatry: Epidemiological and Clinical Research, Montpellier, France.,Centre for Dementia Prevention, University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Isabelle Carrière
- INSERM, University of Montpellier, Neuropsychiatry: Epidemiological and Clinical Research, Montpellier, France.,Centre for Dementia Prevention, University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - David Howett
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Li Su
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - John T O'Brien
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Dennis Chan
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, UK
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34
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Age-related differences in brain activations during spatial memory formation in a well-learned virtual Morris water maze (vMWM) task. Neuroimage 2019; 202:116069. [PMID: 31382044 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The current study applied a rodent-based virtual Morris water maze (vMWM) protocol to an investigation of differences in search performance and brain activations between young and older male human adults. All participants completed in-lab practice and testing before performing the task in the fMRI scanner. Behavioral performance during fMRI scanning - measured in terms of corrected cumulative proximity (CCProx) to the goal - showed that a subgroup of older good performers attained comparable levels of search accuracy to the young while another subgroup of older poor performers exhibited consistently lower levels of search accuracy than both older good performers and the young. With regard to brain activations, young adults exhibited greater activations in the cerebellum and cuneus than all older adults, as well as older poor performers. Older good performers exhibited higher activation than older poor performers in the orbitofrontal cortex (BA 10/11), as well as in the cuneus and cerebellum. Brain-behavior correlations further showed that activations in regions involved in visuomotor control (cerebellum, lingual gyrus) and egocentric spatial processing (premotor cortex, precuneus) correlated positively with search accuracy (i.e., closer proximity to goal) in all participants. Notably, activations in the anterior hippocampus correlated positively with search accuracy (CCProx inversed) in the young but not in the old. Taken together, these findings implicated the orbitofrontal cortex and the cerebellum as playing crucial roles in executive and visuospatial processing in older adults, supporting the proposal of an age-related compensatory shift in spatial memory functions away from the hippocampus toward the prefrontal cortex.
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35
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Representation of human spatial navigation responding to input spatial information and output navigational strategies: An ALE meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 103:60-72. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2018] [Revised: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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36
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Burles F, Liu I, Hart C, Murias K, Graham SA, Iaria G. The Emergence of Cognitive Maps for Spatial Navigation in 7- to 10-Year-Old Children. Child Dev 2019; 91:e733-e744. [PMID: 31286504 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2018] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Although much is known about adults' ability to orient by means of cognitive maps (mental representations of the environment), it is less clear when this important ability emerges in development. In the present study, 97 seven- to 10-year-olds and 26 adults played a video game designed to investigate the ability to orient using cognitive maps. The game required participants to reach target locations as quickly as possible, necessitating the identification and use of novel shortcuts. Seven- and 8-year-olds were less effective than older children and adults in using shortcuts. These findings provide clear evidence of a distinct developmental change around 9 years of age when children begin to proficiently orient and navigate using cognitive maps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ford Burles
- University of Calgary.,University of Toronto
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37
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Zajac L, Burte H, Taylor HA, Killiany R. Self-reported navigation ability is associated with optic flow-sensitive regions' functional connectivity patterns during visual path integration. Brain Behav 2019; 9:e01236. [PMID: 30884216 PMCID: PMC6456774 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Spatial navigation is a complex cognitive skill that varies between individuals, and the mechanisms underlying this variability are not clear. Studying simpler components of spatial navigation may help illuminate factors that contribute to variation in this complex skill; path integration is one such component. Optic flow provides self-motion information while moving through an environment and is sufficient for path integration. This study aims to investigate whether self-reported navigation ability is related to information transfer between optic flow-sensitive (OF-sensitive) cortical regions and regions important to navigation during environmental spatial tasks. METHODS Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to define OF-sensitive regions and map their functional connectivity (FC) with the retrosplenial cortex and hippocampus during visual path integration (VPI) and turn counting (TC) tasks. Both tasks presented visual self-motion through a real-world environment. Correlations predicting a positive association between self-reported navigation ability (measured with the Santa Barbara Sense of Direction scale) and FC strength between OF-sensitive regions and retrosplenial cortex and OF-sensitive regions and the hippocampus were performed. RESULTS During VPI, FC strength between left cingulate sulcus visual area (L CSv) and right retrosplenial cortex and L CSv and right hippocampus was positively associated with self-reported navigation ability. FC strength between right cingulate sulcus visual area (R CSv) and right retrosplenial cortex during VPI was also positively associated with self-reported navigation ability. These relationships were specific to VPI, and whole-brain exploratory analyses corroborated these results. CONCLUSIONS These findings support the hypothesis that perceived spatial navigation ability is associated with communication strength between OF-sensitive and navigationally relevant regions during visual path integration, which may represent the transformation accuracy of visual motion information into internal spatial representations. More broadly, these results illuminate underlying mechanisms that may explain some variability in spatial navigation ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Zajac
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.,Center for Biomedical Imaging, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Heather Burte
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
| | - Holly A Taylor
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
| | - Ronald Killiany
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.,Center for Biomedical Imaging, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
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Alteration of parvalbumin expression and perineuronal nets formation in the cerebral cortex of aged mice. Mol Cell Neurosci 2019; 95:31-42. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2018.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Revised: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 12/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
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39
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Li Y, Kong F, Ji M, Luo Y, Lan J, You X. Shared and Distinct Neural Bases of Large- and Small-Scale Spatial Ability: A Coordinate-Based Activation Likelihood Estimation Meta-Analysis. Front Neurosci 2019; 12:1021. [PMID: 30686987 PMCID: PMC6335367 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.01021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Spatial ability is vital for human survival and development. However, the relationship between large-scale and small-scale spatial ability remains poorly understood. To address this issue from a novel perspective, we performed an activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies to determine the shared and distinct neural bases of these two forms of spatial ability. Methods: We searched Web of Science, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar for studies regarding "spatial ability" published within the last 20 years (January 1988 through June 2018). A final total of 103 studies (Table 1) involving 2,085 participants (male = 1,116) and 2,586 foci were incorporated into the meta-analysis. Results: Large-scale spatial ability was associated with activation in the limbic lobe, posterior lobe, occipital lobe, parietal lobe, right anterior lobe, frontal lobe, and right sub-lobar area. Small-scale spatial ability was associated with activation in the parietal lobe, occipital lobe, frontal lobe, right posterior lobe, and left sub-lobar area. Furthermore, conjunction analysis revealed overlapping regions in the sub-gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, right superior parietal lobule, right middle occipital gyrus, right superior occipital gyrus, left inferior occipital gyrus, and precuneus. The contrast analysis demonstrated that the parahippocampal gyrus, left lingual gyrus, culmen, right middle temporal gyrus, left declive, left superior occipital gyrus, and right lentiform nucleus were more strongly activated during large-scale spatial tasks. In contrast, the precuneus, right inferior frontal gyrus, right precentral gyrus, left inferior parietal lobule, left supramarginal gyrus, left superior parietal lobule, right inferior occipital gyrus, and left middle frontal gyrus were more strongly activated during small-scale spatial tasks. Our results further indicated that there is no absolute difference in the cognitive strategies associated with the two forms of spatial ability (egocentric/allocentric). Conclusion: The results of the present study verify and expand upon the theoretical model of spatial ability proposed by Hegarty et al. Our analysis revealed a shared neural basis between large- and small-scale spatial abilities, as well as specific yet independent neural bases underlying each. Based on these findings, we proposed a more comprehensive version of the behavioral model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Li
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
- Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, China
| | - Feng Kong
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
- Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, China
| | - Ming Ji
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
- Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, China
| | - Yangmei Luo
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
- Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, China
| | - Jijun Lan
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
- Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, China
| | - Xuqun You
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
- Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, China
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40
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Mogilever NB, Zuccarelli L, Burles F, Iaria G, Strapazzon G, Bessone L, Coffey EBJ. Expedition Cognition: A Review and Prospective of Subterranean Neuroscience With Spaceflight Applications. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:407. [PMID: 30425628 PMCID: PMC6218582 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Accepted: 09/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Renewed interest in human space exploration has highlighted the gaps in knowledge needed for successful long-duration missions outside low-Earth orbit. Although the technical challenges of such missions are being systematically overcome, many of the unknowns in predicting mission success depend on human behavior and performance, knowledge of which must be either obtained through space research or extrapolated from human experience on Earth. Particularly in human neuroscience, laboratory-based research efforts are not closely connected to real environments such as human space exploration. As caves share several of the physical and psychological challenges of spaceflight, underground expeditions have recently been developed as a spaceflight analog for astronaut training purposes, suggesting that they might also be suitable for studying aspects of behavior and cognition that cannot be fully examined under laboratory conditions. Our objective is to foster a bi-directional exchange between cognitive neuroscientists and expedition experts by (1) describing the cave environment as a worthy space analog for human research, (2) reviewing work conducted on human neuroscience and cognition within caves, (3) exploring the range of topics for which the unique environment may prove valuable as well as obstacles and limitations, (4) outlining technologies and methods appropriate for cave use, and (5) suggesting how researchers might establish contact with potential expedition collaborators. We believe that cave expeditions, as well as other sorts of expeditions, offer unique possibilities for cognitive neuroscience that will complement laboratory work and help to improve human performance and safety in operational environments, both on Earth and in space.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ford Burles
- Department of Psychology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Giuseppe Iaria
- Department of Psychology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Giacomo Strapazzon
- Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine, Eurac Research - Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Loredana Bessone
- Directorate of Human and Robotics, Exploration, European Space Agency, Köln, Germany
| | - Emily B J Coffey
- Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Solari N, Hangya B. Cholinergic modulation of spatial learning, memory and navigation. Eur J Neurosci 2018; 48:2199-2230. [PMID: 30055067 PMCID: PMC6174978 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Revised: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Spatial learning, including encoding and retrieval of spatial memories as well as holding spatial information in working memory generally serving navigation under a broad range of circumstances, relies on a network of structures. While central to this network are medial temporal lobe structures with a widely appreciated crucial function of the hippocampus, neocortical areas such as the posterior parietal cortex and the retrosplenial cortex also play essential roles. Since the hippocampus receives its main subcortical input from the medial septum of the basal forebrain (BF) cholinergic system, it is not surprising that the potential role of the septo-hippocampal pathway in spatial navigation has been investigated in many studies. Much less is known of the involvement in spatial cognition of the parallel projection system linking the posterior BF with neocortical areas. Here we review the current state of the art of the division of labour within this complex 'navigation system', with special focus on how subcortical cholinergic inputs may regulate various aspects of spatial learning, memory and navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Solari
- Lendület Laboratory of Systems NeuroscienceDepartment of Cellular and Network NeurobiologyInstitute of Experimental MedicineHungarian Academy of SciencesBudapestHungary
| | - Balázs Hangya
- Lendület Laboratory of Systems NeuroscienceDepartment of Cellular and Network NeurobiologyInstitute of Experimental MedicineHungarian Academy of SciencesBudapestHungary
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Piccardi L, Palmiero M, Bocchi A, Giannini AM, Boccia M, Baralla F, Cordellieri P, D’Amico S. Continuous Environmental Changes May Enhance Topographic Memory Skills. Evidence From L'Aquila Earthquake-Exposed Survivors. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:318. [PMID: 30131685 PMCID: PMC6090551 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposure to environmental contextual changes, such as those occurring after an earthquake, requires individuals to learn novel routes around their environment, landmarks and spatial layout. In this study, we aimed to uncover whether contextual changes that occurred after the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake affected topographic memory in exposed survivors. We hypothesized that individuals exposed to environmental changes-individuals living in L'Aquila before, during and after the earthquake (hereafter called exposed participants, EPs)-improved their topographic memory skills compared with non-exposed participants (NEPs) who moved to L'Aquila after the earthquake, as only EPs had to modify their previous cognitive map of L'Aquila. We also hypothesized that memory improvement was selective for the navigational space and did not generalize across other spatial and verbal domains. To test these hypotheses, we compared the topographic and spatial memory skills of 56 EPs without post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms to the skills of 47 NEPs using the Walking Corsi Test (WalCT; memory test in the navigational space) and the Corsi Block-Tapping Test (CBT; visuospatial memory test in the reaching space); EPs and NEPs were matched for gender, education and general navigational skills. A sub-group of participants also underwent the Rey-Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT; verbal memory test). The results showed that only EPs had better performances on topographic learning (TL) assessed using the WalCT rather than spatial learning assessed by the CBT. This outcome suggests the possibility that EPs specifically improved topographic memory. This effect may be due to continuous exposure to environmental changes that have required individuals to learn novel paths within the city and integrate novel information, such as "new towns," into their pre-existing mental representation of the city. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Piccardi
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Palmiero
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Science, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Alessia Bocchi
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy
| | | | | | - Francesca Baralla
- Vincenzo Tiberio Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy
| | | | - Simonetta D’Amico
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Science, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy
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Zhong JY, Moffat SD. Extrahippocampal Contributions to Age-Related Changes in Spatial Navigation Ability. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:272. [PMID: 30042665 PMCID: PMC6048192 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Age-related decline in spatial navigation is well-known and the extant literature emphasizes the important contributions of a hippocampus-dependent spatial navigation system in mediating this decline. However, navigation is a multifaceted cognitive domain and some aspects of age-related navigational decline may be mediated by extrahippocampal brain regions and/or systems. The current review presents an overview of some key cognitive domains that contribute to the age-related changes in spatial navigation ability, and elucidates such domains in the context of an increased engagement of navigationally relevant extrahippocampal brain regions with advancing age. Specifically, this review focuses on age-related declines in three main areas: (i) allocentric strategy use and switching between egocentric and allocentric strategies, (ii) associative learning of landmarks/locations and heading directions, and (iii) executive functioning and attention. Thus far, there is accumulating neuroimaging evidence supporting the functional relevance of the striatum for egocentric/response strategy use in older adults, and of the prefrontal cortex for mediating executive functions that contribute to successful navigational performance. Notably, the functional role of the prefrontal cortex was particularly emphasized via the proposed relevance of the fronto-locus coeruleus noradrenergic system for strategy switching and of the fronto-hippocampal circuit for landmark-direction associative learning. In view of these putative prefrontal contributions to navigation-related functions, we recommend future spatial navigation studies to adopt a systems-oriented approach that investigates age-related alterations in the interaction between the prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus, and extrahippocampal regions, as well as an individual differences approach that clarifies the differential engagement of prefrontal executive processes among older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Scott D. Moffat
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States
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Anggraini D, Glasauer S, Wunderlich K. Neural signatures of reinforcement learning correlate with strategy adoption during spatial navigation. Sci Rep 2018; 8:10110. [PMID: 29973606 PMCID: PMC6031619 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-28241-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Human navigation is generally believed to rely on two types of strategy adoption, route-based and map-based strategies. Both types of navigation require making spatial decisions along the traversed way although formal computational and neural links between navigational strategies and mechanisms of value-based decision making have so far been underexplored in humans. Here we employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while subjects located different objects in a virtual environment. We then modelled their paths using reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms, which successfully explained decision behavior and its neural correlates. Our results show that subjects used a mixture of route and map-based navigation and their paths could be well explained by the model-free and model-based RL algorithms. Furthermore, the value signals of model-free choices during route-based navigation modulated the BOLD signals in the ventro-medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), whereas the BOLD signals in parahippocampal and hippocampal regions pertained to model-based value signals during map-based navigation. Our findings suggest that the brain might share computational mechanisms and neural substrates for navigation and value-based decisions such that model-free choice guides route-based navigation and model-based choice directs map-based navigation. These findings open new avenues for computational modelling of wayfinding by directing attention to value-based decision, differing from common direction and distances approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dian Anggraini
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, 80802, Germany.,Graduate School of Systemic Neuroscience LMU Munich, Planegg, Martinsried, 82152, Germany
| | - Stefan Glasauer
- Center for Sensorimotor Research, Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet München Klinikum Grosshadern, Munich, 81377, Germany.,Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Munich, Planegg, Martinsried, 82152, Germany.,Graduate School of Systemic Neuroscience LMU Munich, Planegg, Martinsried, 82152, Germany
| | - Klaus Wunderlich
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, 80802, Germany. .,Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Munich, Planegg, Martinsried, 82152, Germany. .,Graduate School of Systemic Neuroscience LMU Munich, Planegg, Martinsried, 82152, Germany.
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Palumbo ML, Di Rosso ME, Simon EH, Gonzalez Murano MR, Genaro AM. Altered interferon-γ expression in lymphocytes as a potential peripheral marker of chronic stress-induced cognitive deficit. Cytokine 2018; 107:26-34. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2017.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Revised: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Auger SD, Maguire EA. Dissociating Landmark Stability from Orienting Value Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. J Cogn Neurosci 2018; 30:698-713. [PMID: 29308982 PMCID: PMC6118409 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Retrosplenial cortex (RSC) plays a role in using environmental landmarks to help orientate oneself in space. It has also been consistently implicated in processing landmarks that remain fixed in a permanent location. However, it is not clear whether the RSC represents the permanent landmarks themselves or instead the orienting relevance of these landmarks. In previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies, these features have been conflated-stable landmarks were always useful for orienting. Here, we dissociated these two key landmark attributes to investigate which one best reflects the function of the RSC. Before scanning, participants learned the features of novel landmarks about which they had no prior knowledge. During fMRI scanning, we found that the RSC was more engaged when people viewed permanent compared with transient landmarks and was not responsive to the orienting relevance of landmarks. Activity in RSC was also related to the amount of landmark permanence information a person had acquired and, as knowledge increased, the more the RSC drove responses in the anterior thalamus while viewing permanent landmarks. In contrast, the angular gyrus and the hippocampus were engaged by the orienting relevance of landmarks, but not their permanence, with the hippocampus also sensitive to the distance between relevant landmarks and target locations. We conclude that the coding of permanent landmarks in RSC may drive processing in regions like anterior thalamus, with possible implications for the efficacy of functions such as navigation.
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Stillman PE, Lee H, Deng X, Unnava HR, Cunningham WA, Fujita K. Neurological evidence for the role of construal level in future-directed thought. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2018; 12:937-947. [PMID: 28338716 PMCID: PMC5472149 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsx022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2016] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to mentally represent future events is a significant human psychological achievement. A challenge that people encounter is that they often lack detailed specifics about distant relative to near future events. Construal level theory proposes that people represent distant future events by their abstract and essential features—a process referred to as high-level construal. As events become temporally proximal, people represent events by their increasingly available and reliable concrete and idiosyncratic features—a process referred to as low-level construal. The present fMRI experiment provides direct neural evidence for these assertions. Using the why–how localizer as a measure of construal level, results revealed brain regions associated with both temporal distance and high-level construal (medial prefrontal cortex), as well as temporal proximity and low-level construal (precuneus). We discuss the implications of these findings for the neuroscience of mental time travel and cognitive representation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul E Stillman
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Hyojin Lee
- Department of Marketing, Lucas College and Graduate School of Business, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, USA
| | - Xiaoyan Deng
- Department of Marketing, Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - H Rao Unnava
- Graduate school of management, UC Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - William A Cunningham
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Kentaro Fujita
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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Conson M, Bianchini F, Quarantelli M, Boccia M, Salzano S, Di Vita A, Guariglia C. Selective map-following navigation deficit: A new case of developmental topographical disorientation. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2018; 40:940-950. [PMID: 29614925 DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2018.1451493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Developmental topographical disorientation (DTD) is a lifelong condition in which affected individuals are selectively impaired in navigating space. Although it seems that DTD is widespread in the population, only a few cases have been studied from both a behavioral and a neuroimaging point of view. Here, we report a new case of DTD, never described previously, of a young woman (C.F.) showing a specific deficit in translating allocentrically coded information into egocentrically guided navigation, in presence of spared ability of constructing such representations. METHOD A series of behavioral experiments was performed together with a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). RESULTS We demonstrated that C.F. was fully effective in learning and following routes and in building up cognitive maps as well as in recognizing landmarks. C.F.'s navigational skills, instead, dropped drastically in the map-following task when she was required to use a map to navigate in a novel environment. The rs-fMRI experiment demonstrated aberrant functional connectivity between regions within the default-mode network (DMN), and in particular between medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate, medial parietal, and temporal cortices. DISCUSSION Our results would suggest that, at least in C.F., dysfunctional coactivation of core DMN regions would interfere with the ability to exploit cognitive maps for real-life navigation even when these maps can be correctly built.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimiliano Conson
- a Developmental Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology , University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli," , Caserta , Italy
| | - Filippo Bianchini
- b Department of Psychology , "Sapienza" University of Rome , Rome , Italy.,c Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation Unit , IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia , Rome , Italy
| | - Mario Quarantelli
- d Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging , National Research Council , Naples , Italy
| | - Maddalena Boccia
- b Department of Psychology , "Sapienza" University of Rome , Rome , Italy.,c Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation Unit , IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia , Rome , Italy
| | - Sara Salzano
- e Cognitive-Behavioral School of Psychotherapy "Serapide SPEE," , Naples , Italy
| | - Antonella Di Vita
- b Department of Psychology , "Sapienza" University of Rome , Rome , Italy.,c Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation Unit , IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia , Rome , Italy.,f PhD Program in Behavioral Neuroscience , "Sapienza" University of Rome , Rome , Italy
| | - Cecilia Guariglia
- b Department of Psychology , "Sapienza" University of Rome , Rome , Italy.,c Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation Unit , IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia , Rome , Italy
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Quercia A, Zappasodi F, Committeri G, Ferrara M. Local Use-Dependent Sleep in Wakefulness Links Performance Errors to Learning. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:122. [PMID: 29666574 PMCID: PMC5891895 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2017] [Accepted: 03/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Sleep and wakefulness are no longer to be considered as discrete states. During wakefulness brain regions can enter a sleep-like state (off-periods) in response to a prolonged period of activity (local use-dependent sleep). Similarly, during nonREM sleep the slow-wave activity, the hallmark of sleep plasticity, increases locally in brain regions previously involved in a learning task. Recent studies have demonstrated that behavioral performance may be impaired by off-periods in wake in task-related regions. However, the relation between off-periods in wake, related performance errors and learning is still untested in humans. Here, by employing high density electroencephalographic (hd-EEG) recordings, we investigated local use-dependent sleep in wake, asking participants to repeat continuously two intensive spatial navigation tasks. Critically, one task relied on previous map learning (Wayfinding) while the other did not (Control). Behaviorally awake participants, who were not sleep deprived, showed progressive increments of delta activity only during the learning-based spatial navigation task. As shown by source localization, delta activity was mainly localized in the left parietal and bilateral frontal cortices, all regions known to be engaged in spatial navigation tasks. Moreover, during the Wayfinding task, these increments of delta power were specifically associated with errors, whose probability of occurrence was significantly higher compared to the Control task. Unlike the Wayfinding task, during the Control task neither delta activity nor the number of errors increased progressively. Furthermore, during the Wayfinding task, both the number and the amplitude of individual delta waves, as indexes of neuronal silence in wake (off-periods), were significantly higher during errors than hits. Finally, a path analysis linked the use of the spatial navigation circuits undergone to learning plasticity to off periods in wake. In conclusion, local sleep regulation in wakefulness, associated with performance failures, could be functionally linked to learning-related cortical plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelica Quercia
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Filippo Zappasodi
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.,Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Giorgia Committeri
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.,Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), G. d'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Michele Ferrara
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Coppito, Italy
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