Scene semantics affects allocentric spatial coding for action in naturalistic (virtual) environments.

Interacting with objects in our environment requires determining their locations, often with respect to surrounding objects (i.e., allocentrically). According to the scene grammar framework, these usually small, local objects are movable within a scene and represent the lowest level of a scene's hierarchy. How do higher hierarchical levels of scene grammar influence allocentric coding for memory-guided actions? Here, we focused on the effect of large, immovable objects (anchors) on the encoding of local object positions. In a virtual reality study, participants (n = 30) viewed one of four possible scenes (two kitchens or two bathrooms), with two anchors connected by a shelf, onto which were presented three local objects (congruent with one anchor) (Encoding). The scene was re-presented (Test) with 1) local objects missing and 2) one of the anchors shifted (Shift) or not (No shift). Participants, then, saw a floating local object (target), which they grabbed and placed back on the shelf in its remembered position (Response). Eye-tracking data revealed that both local objects and anchors were fixated, with preference for local objects. Additionally, anchors guided allocentric coding of local objects, despite being task-irrelevant. Overall, anchors implicitly influence spatial coding of local object locations for memory-guided actions within naturalistic (virtual) environments.

Human navigation strategies and their errors result from dynamic interactions of spatial uncertainties.

Goal-directed navigation requires continuously integrating uncertain self-motion and landmark cues into an internal sense of location and direction, concurrently planning future paths, and sequentially executing motor actions. Here, we provide a unified account of these processes with a computational model of probabilistic path planning in the framework of optimal feedback control under uncertainty. This model gives rise to diverse human navigational strategies previously believed to be distinct behaviors and predicts quantitatively both the errors and the variability of navigation across numerous experiments. This furthermore explains how sequential egocentric landmark observations form an uncertain allocentric cognitive map, how this internal map is used both in route planning and during execution of movements, and reconciles seemingly contradictory results about cue-integration behavior in navigation. Taken together, the present work provides a parsimonious explanation of how patterns of human goal-directed navigation behavior arise from the continuous and dynamic interactions of spatial uncertainties in perception, cognition, and action.

Odors in space.

As an evolutionarily ancient sense, olfaction is key to learning where to find food, shelter, mates, and important landmarks in an animal's environment. Brain circuitry linking odor and navigation appears to be a well conserved multi-region system among mammals; the anterior olfactory nucleus, piriform cortex, entorhinal cortex, and hippocampus each represent different aspects of olfactory and spatial information. We review recent advances in our understanding of the neural circuits underlying odor-place associations, highlighting key choices of behavioral task design and neural circuit manipulations for investigating learning and memory.

Distinct neural mechanisms for heading retrieval and context recognition in the hippocampus during spatial reorientation.

Reorientation, the process of regaining one's bearings after becoming lost, requires identification of a spatial context (context recognition) and recovery of facing direction within that context (heading retrieval). We previously showed that these processes rely on the use of features and geometry, respectively. Here, we examine reorientation behavior in a task that creates contextual ambiguity over a long timescale to demonstrate that male mice learn to combine both featural and geometric cues to recover heading. At the neural level, most CA1 neurons persistently align to geometry, and this alignment predicts heading behavior. However, a small subset of cells remaps coherently in a context-sensitive manner, which serves to predict context. Efficient heading retrieval and context recognition correlate with rate changes reflecting integration of featural and geometric information in the active ensemble. These data illustrate how context recognition and heading retrieval are coded in CA1 and how these processes change with experience.

An allocentric human odometer for perceiving distances on the ground plane.

We reliably judge locations of static objects when we walk despite the retinal images of these objects moving with every step we take. Here, we showed our brains solve this optical illusion by adopting an allocentric spatial reference frame. We measured perceived target location after the observer walked a short distance from the home base. Supporting the allocentric coding scheme, we found the intrinsic bias , which acts as a spatial reference frame for perceiving location of a dimly lit target in the dark, remained grounded at the home base rather than traveled along with the observer. The path-integration mechanism responsible for this can utilize both active and passive (vestibular) translational motion signals, but only along the horizontal direction. This asymmetric path-integration finding in human visual space perception is reminiscent of the asymmetric spatial memory finding in desert ants, pointing to nature's wondrous and logically simple design for terrestrial creatures.

Distal but not local auditory information supports spatial representations by place cells.

Sound is an important navigational cue for mammals. During spatial navigation, hippocampal place cells encode spatial representations of the environment based on visual information, but to what extent audiospatial information can enable reliable place cell mapping is largely unknown. We assessed this by recording from CA1 place cells in the dark, under circumstances where reliable visual, tactile, or olfactory information was unavailable. Male rats were exposed to auditory cues of different frequencies that were delivered from local or distal spatial locations. We observed that distal, but not local cue presentation, enables and supports stable place fields, regardless of the sound frequency used. Our data suggest that a context dependency exists regarding the relevance of auditory information for place field mapping: whereas locally available auditory cues do not serve as a salient spatial basis for the anchoring of place fields, auditory cue localization supports spatial representations by place cells when available in the form of distal information. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that CA1 neurons can effectively use auditory stimuli to generate place fields, and that hippocampal pyramidal neurons are not solely dependent on visual cues for the generation of place field representations based on allocentric reference frames.

The influence of travel time on perceived traveled distance varies by spatiotemporal scale.

The influence of travel time on perceived traveled distance has often been studied, but the results are inconsistent regarding the relationship between the two magnitudes. We argue that this is due to differences in the lengths of investigated travel distances and hypothesize that the influence of travel time differs for rather short compared to rather long traveled distances. We tested this hypothesis in a virtual environment presented on a desktop as well as through a head-mounted display. Our results show that, for longer distances, more travel time leads to longer perceived distance, while we do not find an influence of travel time on shorter distances. The presentation through an HMD vs. desktop only influenced distance judgments in the short distance condition. These results are in line with the idea that the influence of travel time varies by the length of the traveled distance, and provide insights on the question of how distance perception in path integration studies is affected by travel time, thereby resolving inconsistencies reported in previous studies.

Visuospatial Perception in Prematurely Born Children Without Cerebral Palsy or Retinopathy but With Scholar Complaints.

In the absence of any complaints in early childhood, preterm children remain more at risk of encountering academic difficulties, but their clinical picture remains not well characterized. We screened visuospatial perception in 70 children born preterm consulting for scholar complaints. Developmental Coordination Disorder (with or without comorbidities) was associated with high prevalence (27%) of impaired perception of spatial relationship. Prematurely born children who obtained no diagnosis of Neuro-Developmental Disorder exhibited a high prevalence (31%) of impaired perception of object magnitude. Regression revealed that low gestational age and fetal growth restriction significantly predicted the magnitude but not the spatial relationship perception.

Different deployments of attentional breadth selectively predict UFOV task performance in older adults.

The Useful Field of View task (UFOV) is a strong and reliable predictor of crash risk in older drivers. However, while the functional domain of attention is clearly implicated in UFOV performance, the potential role of one specific attentional process remains unclear: attentional breadth (the spatial extent of the attended region around the point of visual fixation). The goal of the present study was to systematically test the role of two distinct aspects of attentional breadth, maintaining a specific breadth of attention and resizing the attended region, in UFOV performance. To this end, 135 older adults completed the UFOV and modified Navon tasks to measure their efficiency in maintaining, contracting, and expanding the breadth of attention. We then examined individual-difference associations between these aspects of attentional breadth deployment and UFOV performance. We found that performance on UFOV Subtask 2 was associated with efficient contraction of attentional breadth (i.e., resizing the attended region to a smaller area), while Subtask 3 performance was associated with the efficiency of expanding attentional breadth (i.e., resizing the attended region to a larger area). The selectivity of these relationships appears to implicate these specific deployments of attentional breadth in how people complete the task, as it suggests that these relationships are not simply attributable to shared variance in a broader domain of cognitive functioning. The implications of these results for our understanding of UFOV, as well as future research directions that test the relative contributions of different cognitive processes in predicting task performance, are discussed.

EEG Activity during Pursuit and Saccade Visual Strategies to Predict the Arrival Position of a Target.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we used electroencephalogram (EEG) to investigate the activity pattern of the cerebral cortex related to visual pursuit and saccade strategies to predict the arrival position of a visual target. In addition, we clarified the differences in the EEG of those who could predict the arrival position well using the saccade strategy compared to those who were not proficient. METHODS: Sixteen participants performed two tasks: the "Pursuit Strategy Task (PST)" and the "Saccade Strategy Task (SST)" while undergoing EEG. For the PST, the participants were instructed to follow the target with their eyes throughout its trajectory and indicate when it reached the final point. For the SST, the participants were instructed to shift their gaze to the end point of arrival once they had predicted it. RESULTS: Low beta EEG activity at the Oz, Cz, and CP2 electrodes was significantly higher during the SST than during the PST. In addition, low beta EEG activity at P7 electrode was significantly higher in the group showing a small position error (PE) than in the group showing a large PE at response. CONCLUSIONS: EEG activity at the Oz, Cz, and CP2 electrodes during the SST may reflect visuospatial attention to the moving target, the tracking of moving targets, and the focus on the final destination position. In addition, EEG activity at P7 electrode may more accurately detect the speed and direction of the moving target by the small PE group at response.

[Unilteral Spatial Neglect: Clinical Manifestations and Neural Correlates].

Unilateral spatial neglect is the failure of brain-damaged patients to report, respond, or orient to novel or meaningful stimuli presented to the contralateral side of the lesion. This usually involves the right cerebral hemisphere. Neglect presents with no restriction in gaze direction and results in difficulty across various aspects of daily activities, distinguishing it from simple homonymous hemianopia. The basic mechanisms underlying neglect is rightward bias of spatial attention, while non-direction-specific cognitive problems may contribute to clinical expressions of neglect.

Visuo-spatial complexity potentiates the body-part effect in intransitive imitation of meaningless gestures.

Recent studies on the imitation of intransitive gestures suggest that the body part effect relies mainly upon the direct route of the dual-route model through a visuo-transformation mechanism. Here, we test the visuo-constructive hypothesis which posits that the visual complexity may directly potentiate the body part effect for meaningless gestures. We predicted that the difference between imitation of hand and finger gestures would increase with the visuo-spatial complexity of gestures. Second, we aimed to identify some of the visuo-spatial predictors of meaningless finger imitation skills. Thirty-eight participants underwent an imitation task containing three distinct set of gestures, that is, meaningful gestures, meaningless gestures with low visual complexity, and meaningless gestures with higher visual complexity than the first set of meaningless gestures. Our results were in general agreement with the visuo-constructive hypothesis, showing an increase in the difference between hand and finger gestures, but only for meaningless gestures with higher visuo-spatial complexity. Regression analyses confirm that imitation accuracy decreases with resource-demanding visuo-spatial factors. Taken together, our results suggest that the body part effect is highly dependent on the visuo-spatial characteristics of the gestures.

Sex differences in visuospatial cognition- a female advantage in jigsaw puzzle solving.

Mentally visualizing objects, understanding relationships between two- or three- dimensional objects, and manipulating objects in space are some examples of visuospatial abilities. Numerous studies have shown that male participants outperform female participants in visuospatial tasks, particularly in mental rotation. One exception is solving jigsaw puzzles. Performance by seven- to eight-year-old girls was found to be superior to that of boys of the same age (Kocijan et al. 2017). No study, however, has confirmed this finding in an adult population, where sex differences are often detectable. Seventy-nine young adult participants were given four different jigsaw puzzles and the Shepard and Metzler mental rotation test (MRT) with two main goals: First, to investigate possible sex differences in jigsaw puzzle solving, and second, to explore a potential relationship between mental rotation and jigsaw puzzle solving. We hypothesized that female participants would outperform males in the jigsaw puzzles but males would outperform females in the MRT. The findings confirmed this hypothesis. Notably, the male performance in jigsaw puzzle solving was attributed to their sex and mediated by their higher MRT scores. These results yielded two key insights. First, they indicate a dissociation between these two visuospatial abilities, jigsaw puzzle solving and mental rotation; and second, female and male participants capitalize on their distinct cognitive strengths when solving visuospatial tasks.

Neurocognitive performance of badminton players at different competitive levels in visuospatial attention tasks.

Visuospatial attention (VSA) is a cognitive function that enables athletes, particularly those engaged in open-skill sports, to allocate attentional resources efficiently to the appropriate target and in the appropriate direction. Studies have indicated that expert players exhibit superior cognitive performance to that of novices. However, no study has investigated differences in VSA performance among elite, expert, and intermediate badminton players or the potential neurophysiological mechanisms underlying such differences. Accordingly, the present study explored neuropsychological and neurophysiological parameters during VSA tasks among badminton players of varying competitive levels. The study included 54 participants and divided them into three groups according to their competition records: elite (n = 18), expert (n = 18), and intermediate (n = 18). Their neuropsychological performance and brain event-related potentials (ERPs) during the Posner cueing paradigm were collected. Although the three groups did not differ in their accuracy rates, ERP N2 amplitudes, or N2 or P3 latencies, the elite and expert groups exhibited notably faster reaction times and more pronounced P3 amplitudes than did the intermediate group during the cognitive task. However, we did not observe these between-group differences when we controlled for the covariate training years. Additionally, the elite and expert groups exhibited comparable neurocognitive performance. These findings indicate that badminton players' competitive levels influence their VSA. However, the beneficial effects on neuropsychological and neurophysiological performance could stabilize after a certain level of badminton competence is reached. Year of training could also be a major factor influencing badminton players' neurocognitive performance in VSA tasks.

Contribution of external reference frame to tactile localization.

The purpose of the present study was to elucidate whether an external reference frame contributes to tactile localization in blindfolded healthy humans. In a session, the right forearm was passively moved until the elbow finally reached to the target angle, and participants reached the left index finger to the right middle fingertip. The locus of the right middle fingertip indicated by the participants deviated in the direction of the elbow extension when vibration was provided to the biceps brachii muscle during the passive movement. This finding indicates that proprioception contributes to the identification of the spatial coordinate of the specific body part in an external reference frame. In another session, the tactile stimulus was provided to the dorsal of the right hand during the passive movement, and the participants reached the left index finger to the spatial locus at which the tactile stimulus was provided. Vibration to the biceps brachii muscle did not change the perceived locus of the tactile stimulus indicated by the left index finger. This finding indicates that an external reference frame does not contribute to tactile localization during the passive movement. Humans may estimate the spatial coordinate of the tactile stimulus based on the time between the movement onset and the time at which the tactile stimulus is provided.

Comparison of postural control and space perception outcomes between robotic and conventional cochlear implantation in adults.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study is to capture the difference between the groups in direct relation to the type of electrode array insertion during cochlear implantation (CI). The robotic insertion is expected to be a more gently option. As recent studies have shown, there is a difference in perception of visual vertical (SVV) and postural control related to the CI. We assume that there can be differences in postural control and space perception outcomes depending on the type of the surgical method. METHODS: In total, 37 (24 females, mean age ± SD was 42.9 ± 13.0) candidates for CI underwent an assessment. In 14 cases, the insertion of the electrode array was performed by a robotic system (RobOtol, Colin, France) and 23 were performed conventionally. In all of these patients, we performed the same examination before the surgery, the first day, and 3 weeks after the surgery. The protocol consists of static posturography and perception of visual vertical. RESULTS: The both groups, RobOtol and conventional, responded to the procedure similarly despite the dissimilar electrode insertion. There was no difference between two groups in the dynamic of perception SVV and postural parameters. Patients in both groups were statistically significantly affected by the surgical procedure, SVV deviation appeared in the opposite direction from the implanted ear: 0.90° ± 1.25; - 1.67° ± 3.05 and - 0.19° ± 1.78 PRE and POST surgery (p < 0.001). And this deviation was spontaneously adjusted in FOLLOW-UP after 3 weeks (p < 0.01) in the both groups. We did not find a significant difference in postural parameters between the RobOtol and conventional group, even over time. CONCLUSION: Although the robotic system RobOtol allows a substantial reduction in the speed of insertion of the electrode array into the inner ear, our data did not demonstrate a postoperative effect on vestibular functions (SVV and posturography), which have the same character and dynamics as in the group with standard manual insertion. REGISTRATION NUMBER: The project is registered on clinicaltrials.gov (registration number: NCT05547113).

Field experiment on the effect of musical street performance/busking on public space perception as mediated by street audience experience.

Street performance or busking is common in public spaces. The literature highlights two psychological issues: the effect of street performance on public space perception and the complexity of the appreciation of street performance, regarded as street audience experience (SAE). The present study aims at verifying the effect of street performance on public space perception, while examining SAE as a mediator of this effect. We conducted a between-subjects field experiment (a quasi-experiment; N = 292) in Hong Kong. Participants assessed a public space without (control) or with (experimental) musical busking on essentialism, anti-essentialism, sonic restorativeness, and overall liking. In the experimental condition, unengaged passersby and engaged audience further evaluated SAE factors of emotion, intellect, novelty, place, interaction, and technique, and outcomes of overall satisfaction and donation worth. The public space with busking was perceived as significantly more sonically restorative. Engaged audience perceived the space as significantly more essentialist, anti-essentialist, sonically restorative, and likeable. Engaged audience also experienced more positive SAE and outcome variables. SAE fully mediated the effects of street performance on public space perception and outcome variables, respectively. These findings support the positive impact of street performance, which may enhance city inhabitants' well-being.

Sustained bias of spatial attention in a 3 T MRI scanner.

When lying inside a MRI scanner and even in the absence of any motion, the static magnetic field of MRI scanners induces a magneto-hydrodynamic stimulation of subjects' vestibular organ (MVS). MVS thereby not only causes a horizontal vestibular nystagmus but also induces a horizontal bias in spatial attention. In this study, we aimed to determine the time course of MVS-induced biases in both VOR and spatial attention inside a 3 T MRI-scanner as well as their respective aftereffects after participants left the scanner. Eye movements and overt spatial attention in a visual search task were assessed in healthy volunteers before, during, and after a one-hour MVS period. All participants exhibited a VOR inside the scanner, which declined over time but never vanished completely. Importantly, there was also an MVS-induced horizontal bias in spatial attention and exploration, which persisted throughout the entire hour within the scanner. Upon exiting the scanner, we observed aftereffects in the opposite direction manifested in both the VOR and in spatial attention, which were statistically no longer detectable after 7 min. Sustained MVS effects on spatial attention have important implications for the design and interpretation of fMRI-studies and for the development of therapeutic interventions counteracting spatial neglect.

Development of a real-world simulated instrument for evaluating visuospatial working memory: a preliminary psychometric study on older adults.

BACKGROUND: A prevalent challenge in neuropsychological assessment, particularly when utilizing instruments designed for controlled laboratory environments, is that the outcomes may not correspond to an individual's real-life status. Accordingly, assessments of visuospatial working memory (VSWM) conducted in such settings might fail to capture certain facets of this function, as it operates in real life. On the other hand, entirely ecological assessments may risk compromising internal validity. This study aimed to develop an intermediate mode of assessment that measures VSWM in older adults by employing a setting, a task, and a response format that aligns closely with both laboratory and ecological assessments. Furthermore, a preliminary investigation was carried out to study the variations in spatial cognition among different demographic groups. METHODS: In a two-session study, 77 healthy older adults, eight patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and seven patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) were recruited to complete the wayfinding questionnaire (WQ), the Corsi block-tapping task (CBTT), and the Spatial Memory Table (SMT). The SMT is a novel instrument developed specifically for this study, aiming to provide a more accurate measure of VSWM performance in older adults' everyday life. Test-retest and split-half reliabilities, as well as the face, content, concurrent, convergent, and known-groups validities, were analyzed to investigate the psychometric properties of the SMT. RESULTS: The analyses were mainly centered on studying the psychometric properties of the SMT. Test-retest reliability (r = .753, p < .001) and split-half reliability (ρSC = 0.747) were found to be acceptable. Concurrent validity using CBTT (r = .264, p = .021), convergent validity using WQ subscales (navigation and orientation: r = .282, p = .014; distance estimation: r = .261, p = .024), and known-groups validity using the SMT scores among people with MCI and AD (χ2 = 35.194, df = 2, p < .001) were also indicative of the instrument's good validity. Data analysis also revealed acceptable levels of face validity (U = 4.50; p = .095) and content validity (CVR ≥ 0.60). As a result of comparing VSWM and wayfinding variables across genders and education levels, a significant difference was observed for navigation and orientation and spatial anxiety between women and men (p < .05). None of the variables were different among education levels. CONCLUSION: The SMT was found to be a reliable and valid tool for measuring VSWM performance in older adults. Given these findings, the SMT can be regarded as a measure that sufficiently approximates both laboratory and real-life demands for VSWM. Additionally, the instrument demonstrated a preliminary acceptable capacity to differentiate between healthy individuals and those with MCI and AD.

Is there only one innate modular system for spatial navigation?

Spelke convincingly argues that we should posit six innate modular systems beyond the periphery (i.e., beyond low-level perception and motor control). I focus on the case of spatial navigation (Ch. 3) to claim that there remain powerful considerations in favor of positing additional innate, nonperipheral modules. This opens the door to stronger forms of nativism and nonperipheral modularism than Spelke's.