Zhao M, Liu J, Liu Y, Kang P. Effects of mental rotation on map representation in orienteers-behavioral and fNIRS evidence.
PeerJ 2023;
11:e16299. [PMID:
37868057 PMCID:
PMC10588725 DOI:
10.7717/peerj.16299]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective
Taking orienteering as an example, this study aimed to reveal the effects of mental rotation on orienteers' map representation and their brain processing characteristics.
Methods
Functional near-infrared spectroscopic imaging (fNIRS) was used to explore the behavioral performance and cortical oxyhemoglobin concentration changes of map-represented cognitive processing in orienteering athletes under two task conditions: normal and rotational orientation.
Results
Compared to that in the normal orientation, athletes' task performance in the rotated orientation condition was significantly decreased, as evidenced by a decrease in correct rate and an increase in reaction time; in the normal orientation condition, blood oxygen activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal lobe was significantly greater than that in the ventral prefrontal lobe, which was significantly correlated with the correct rate. With rotating orientation, the brain oxygen average of each region of interest was enhanced, and the brain region specifically processed was the ventral prefrontal lobe, specifically correlating with the correct rate.
Conclusions
Mental rotation constrains the map representation ability of athletes, and map representation in rotational orientation requires more functional brain activity for information processing. Ventral lateral prefrontal lobe activation plays an important role in the map representation task in rotational orientation.
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